Purgatory
by TK Grimm
Summary: Hiatus A spy dies during her mission and is given 5 months on Earth to redeem her soul in order to gain access into heaven. Non-AU. Post-Series.
1. The Ordeal

**TK**: Hello everyone, it's me here with a brand new story and brand new plotline. I hope this one does at least half as well as the Outcast and the Enigma did. As a future note, I apologize if any of my Russian is off. Translations are difficult, yes, but pronunciations seem to take forever in my case. Again, I apologize in advance~

**Full Summary**: Luna Dreher was a spy for the British Government. She took her first mission, which turned out to be her last. Meeting her unfortunate death, she found herself in Purgatory, where Saint Peter offered her an ordeal to gain access into heaven. This ordeal involves her saving the souls of a few familiar faces…

* * *

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**The Ordeal**

* * *

"This is it."

Luna froze, stopping at the edge of the cliff. She panted from running for so long, but when she looked back, she knew that the man whom had spoken was right. It was the end. The end for _her_. She straightened her black dress out. It was the one she had worn to the party just a few minutes before. Her high heeled sandals had already been discarded whilst running.

_Damn_… she thought. Who would have thought that her first mission would turn out to be her last? The man behind her in the dark gray suit pointed the gun in her direction as he slowly walked towards her. His graying hair was barely visible with the night sky, but the gun he carried reflected the moonlight flawlessly.

Her options weren't very good. He could easily overpower her without much effort. Luna was trained in stealth, not strength. Because of her clumsy mistake, she was going to die. Worse than that, she was going to fail her mission.

"Are you ready to tell me who sent you?" he asked.

Luna tilted her head to the side, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think so."

The man pulled back the hammer of the gun, making a soft clicking sound. "Last chance."

Without another word, she stepped off the edge of the cliff.

* * *

Luna slowly opened her eyes. She was surrounded by darkness. Her first thought was, _How am I still alive?_ Not finding an immediate answer, she felt her way along a wall, only to discover she was completely closed in.

It was a clever sort of punishment; secluding someone to a box for the rest of eternity to block him or her off from any noise, communication, or anything whatsoever. It would eventually result in insanity.

After a few minutes of complete silence, the black walls around Luna disintegrated, and she found herself in front of a large, golden gate. A man with gray hair and a long brown robe stood by the gate. He appeared to be reading a book. He didn't even so much as glance up at the black haired woman as he spoke, "_That_, was Purgatory. Consider it the 'waiting room' between heaven and hell."

Luna slowly approached him, studying him. He finally closed his book and looked at her. "You, however, won't be going there. You didn't exactly live a very fulfilling life, did you, Luna?"

"Where am I now?" she asked, ignoring his rhetorical question.

"Don't you know? You're standing outside the gates to Paradise, of course. You can go here… if you complete the trial the Lord has prepared for you."

Luna sighed; it was always someone ordering her around. That was her life. Taking orders. "Who _are_ you?"

"I'm Saint Peter," he replied, finally realizing he should have expected her to be so non-accepting of fate. "As I was saying, you _can_ gain access into heaven."

"So let me get this straight," she said, adding everything up in her head. "I died after all when I stepped off the cliff… and now you're giving me an ordeal to get into heaven?"

Saint Peter nodded, "Yes. You can repent for the sins you committed in your human life by completing this test successfully."

"And what is it you want me to do?"

"Simple," he said. "I will send you back to Earth, with a pre-made plan of where you'll live and all those other details, of course, and _you_ will save as many souls as you possibly can."

"Why can't I live in my house back in Lichfield?"

The saint shook his head once, "You can't go back to your life as a spy. You wouldn't save many souls, now, would you?"

"So you want me do good deeds in a completely new world and environment."

"One way of wording it," Saint Peter said, feeling slightly irritated by the woman's blunt choice of words.

Luna paused, "What will happen if I don't do this?"

Saint Peter opened the book again and continued his reading as he replied with, "You'll find a not-so-comfortable home in the realm of the devil." He glanced up at her, using his index finger as a bookmark. "You see, God kept your body alive after you fell down the cliff."

"I willingly jumped off," she corrected.

"If you're going to be technical, you _stepped_ off," he pointed out. "As I was saying, your body is in a coma in a hospital in Moscow, Russia. I believe that's where your last mission as a spy was, correct?"

"Yes…" It happened to be her first mission, too, and she **failed** it.

Saint Peter nodded, "Well, you'll be waking with amnesia. That's what the doctors will be convinced of, anyway. Of course, that means you have to play along."

"I figured."

"Obviously, you cannot continue your life as a spy. Saint Jude already sorted out what will happen after you awaken. Everything will be in order, and once set into motion, it will be up to you to take it from there to play the role of the innocent housekeeper and do-gooder."

Luna thought for a moment, considering her options. It seemed she never had a very good selection to choose from. Knowing her luck, the details Saint Jude fixed up for her would probably be shitty. Not like she had a choice, of course. It was either bite the bullet or burn in hell. Literally. "I accept."

"Luna Dreher, I sentence you to five months on Earth to repent for your sins as a human being. Should you fail or die, the ordeal is done, and you will serve in hell for the rest of eternity."

* * *

Within a realm of darkness again, the only thing Luna could do was breathe. She was lying down; that much was clear. But her eyes simply wouldn't open. She had no energy whatsoever. Muffled voices and soft footsteps echoed through her ears, but it all came out in broken fragments.

"…heart rate… steadily… increasing…"

"…regaining consciousness…"

"…going to make… after all…"

Luna struggled to open her eyes, only managing a slight squint. Everything blurred, and she had to shut them again soon after. She felt a slight twinge of panic at not being able to see or do anything. She tried to raise her hand to pull the plastic object off her mouth, but was unable to do anything besides slightly twitch her hand.

"…something… we can do…?"

"…to wait until fully awake."

Finally, her eyes were opened, and slowly, her surroundings began to materialize. Luna was in a hospital. A male doctor was on her right side, writing on a clipboard. On her other side, a female nurse was looking down at her.

The doctor lowered his clipboard and looked into her eyes, "Hello."

"Maybe she speaks Russian?" the nurse suggested. She looked at Luna, who was trying very hard to keep her eyes open. "_Privet_!"

"She probably can't answer us," the doctor pointed out. He put the clipboard under his arm and put his index finger in front of Luna's eyes. "If you can understand me, follow my finger back and forth. I need to check your vision." He steadily moved his pointer finger left and right in front of Luna, who managed to follow it as directed. Her energy was slowly regaining, and soon, she would be able to find her voice. "Well, she speaks English," the doctor pointed out.

"I guess I just assumed, since we're in Russia…" the nurse thought out loud.

"You're in Moscow, the capitol of Russia." The doctor spoke slowly and clearly so that his patient would be able to hear and understand his words. "I'm Doctor Livingstone. My assistant is Nurse Pletnyov. You are at Wellcare Medical Services, a local hospital. You've been in a coma for two weeks."

_Two weeks…?_ Luna thought, confused. Perhaps her time spent in Purgatory was longer than she thought, it just went by fast. Or did she dream it all? Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head that lasted a split second. _Okay,_ she replied, defeated, _okay; I didn't dream it._

"Do you know your name?" the nurse asked. She was obviously Russian; her accent was slightly leaking through, unlike the clearly English doctor.

Finally finding her voice, Luna managed to softly reply with, "…L-Luna… Luna Dreher…"

"Good, that means your memory is at least a little intact," Doctor Livingstone commented. "I'm afraid you suffered a hard blow to the head in your fall, and you probably won't remember quite a few things. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of information on you, though I must admit that is very strange. So I'm afraid we'll probably be useless when it comes to your past."

Luna mentally rolled her eyes. Of course there wasn't any information on her. She was a spy for the British Government – she was frankly surprised they knew her _name_ for that matter.

"Do you know how old you are?"

Seemed like a harmless question. "…Twenty-three."

"Is there anything else you can remember? Where do you live? Where are you from?"

Luna slowly shook her head. This was obviously part of Saint Jude's plan from here on out. Whatever his plan was, that is.

The doctor sighed, "Well, I'm afraid all we've got is your name and age. You've got quite the case of amnesia, my dear. You'll be a little weak for about a day, too, since you just woke out of a two-week coma."

Luna paused, finding the strength to sit up in her bed. After struggling for a bit, she managed the feat and returned to look at the doctor. "Where… am I going… to go?" _That's right; sound innocent and naïve. You know nothing._

Doctor Livingstone hesitated for a while before saying, "We'll figure something out. I'm sure there's a place we can put you in temporarily until you can live on your own." Excusing himself, he and the nurse exited the room to discuss just that. During their absence, a new face showed up.

The man slowly appeared in front of Luna's hospital bed. He, like Saint Peter, wore a long brown robe. His hair was also brown, with a slight bald spot on the top. A white dove rested on his shoulder, watching Luna through perceptive, beady, black eyes. "Hello, Luna. I am Saint Francis, Patron of Animals."

"Nice… to meet you…" Luna said awkwardly.

"I'm sure you're well-aware of the current situation. Saint Jude is just about finished with your living arrangements." Saint Francis spoke with a gentle tone of voice, neither patronizing nor condescending at all. "When the doctors come in, you'll be assigned your new home." He smiled slightly, "Saint Mary Magdalene had a little part in choosing where you would go. I think you'll find it quite… interesting."

Luna raised her eyebrows, "I _do_ find it interesting that so many saints are helping someone like me."

"You caught our interest," Saint Francis explained with a chuckle. "But I assure you; there are many saints at the Lord's disposal." He glanced at the clock, "They should be coming back soon. Good luck." With that, he disappeared, and Doctor Livingstone and Nurse Pletnyov came into the room.

The nurse looked at her with a pleasant smile, "We've sorted out your living arrangements. How do you feel about housework? Is cooking and cleaning for a house full of men all right?" she giggled.

Luna felt another slight poke to her head, similar to before. She now made the connection that Saint Jude was poking her from the safety of invisibility; his way of telling her to speak. "Oh, um… that's fine. I don't mind housework."

"That's good," Doctor Livingstone said. It was a shame they had no idea this was a plan of the Divine. Imagine the looks on their faces if they knew they were being forced into this. Not just them, but the _men_ Luna was going to live with soon. That was when something clicked. _Wait a minute… did she say __**men**__?_

"We've already cleared it with the four nice young lads about you staying with them for a while," Nurse Pletnyov said smiling. "They were a little reluctant at first, but they accepted."

_Tch, yeah,_ Luna thought. _I bet they wouldn't have accepted if __**Saint Jude**_, she stressed the name for emphasis, knowing he could hear her perfectly clear, _hadn't gone meddling._ His answer was another poke to the head. She wanted to wince in pain, but hid it immediately, knowing the doctor would ask questions.

"One of them is going to pick you up in about an hour," Doctor Livingstone explained. "By then, you should be able to walk," he added, noticing her slightly worried expression.

"Don't worry, dear," the nurse said, noting Luna's concern. "I've known those boys for years. They act tough, but they wouldn't hurt a fly."

_Interesting_. Luna simply nodded in response. The doctor left, going to check on his other patients. During this, Nurse Pletnyov helped her out of her hospital bed, letting the struggling woman use her as support. "Come on, lets see if we can get you out of that hospital gown. I washed that pretty dress of yours and had it sewn up. I'm afraid it's all you have."

Luna couldn't help but smile; she, after all, loved that dress. It was one of the few nice things she had. Speaking of her possessions, she wondered what became of them back at her house in Lichfield, England. Guess there was no time to think about that now, though.

Once in her dress, Luna was finally able to walk on her own. Enough time had passed that she had regained a decent amount of her former strength and energy. Nurse Pletnyov let her keep a pair of old slippers to use as shoes for the moment, too. "How about tomorrow you and I go shopping to get you some clothes?"

Feeling another irritating poke from Saint Jude, Luna shook her head, "Sorry, I don't have any money-"

"That's all right! I don't mind helping you out, I like you!" she assured. "People need to be more generous in this world. The concept of kindness needs to return; it's a sad state we live in today."

"Indeed," Luna replied absent-mindedly. She spent the next hour doing a few stretches here and there with Ctekosa (Nurse Pletnyov) so that she could regain complete feel and control with her limbs and joints.

Ctekosa sighed, a little tired from exercising with her. "Feel better?"

"A lot, actually," Luna said, nodding her head approvingly at finally being able to move efficiently again. A comatose state really takes it out of you.

The nurse led her to the lobby where she waved at a tall blonde man who had been sitting in the waiting room, reading a magazine. "Spencer, over here," she called. The man named Spencer looked up, smiling and nodding in Nurse Pletnyov's direction. He set the magazine down and walked over to the two of them. "Spencer, this is Luna Dreher. Luna, this is Spencer Petrov, one of the nice boys you'll be staying with."

Having no idea what the woman meant by the term 'boys' seeing as Spencer was at least twenty-five, Luna simply nodded after a pause, when she felt another of Saint Jude's easily aggravating pokes. He held out his hand politely, "Nice to meet you."

"Y-yeah," Luna replied, wishing she could put a barrier around her forehead to prevent anymore poking. She shook his hand with a slight smile, "Nice to meet you, too."

Ctekosa giggled, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Luna. We'll go shopping to get you some clothes then. I hope your first day goes well." She watched as Spencer led her to the glass hospital doors leading to the parking lot. "_Do svedanya!_" she called out pleasantly.


	2. A New Beginning

_******TK**:_ I realize this chapter sort of 'drags on' or whatever. It was slow and, dare I say it, boring. I must remind you that I simply can't rush it, that's all, for it would be quite unrealistic. Thanks for reading, anyway; please review with your thoughts-

* * *

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**A New Beginning**

* * *

"Nervous?" Spencer asked as he and Luna rode down the street in a taxi. The tall blonde couldn't help but notice her fidgeting.

Luna was brought out of her train of thought. Actually, she was nervous, but not for the reason he was thinking. Sure, she was slightly uncomfortable about living with four strangers – especially of the male race – but she knew that it had all been arranged by God and Saint Jude, so there was nothing to worry about there. She was mainly concerned with what she could possibly do to redeem her soul. There was no way she would be spending eternity in a pit of flames. "A little," she admitted.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to be nice. "We're not _that _bad…" his voice trailed off, almost betraying his last sentence. Luna paid no attention though, as that was not her main concern at the moment.

The taxi pulled over, and Spencer paid for their trip. "Thank you," Luna said, rather embarrassed that she didn't have any money to even pay for her cab fare.

"No problem," he said as the taxi drove away. Luna looked at the house. It was a one-story, with white siding and gray shutters. Snow covered the yard, leaving no room for a lawn of any sort. It was then that Luna realized just how cold she was, wearing only the black dress and slippers. She shivered, holding her arms as Spencer led her inside to get her out of the cold weather of Russia.

There, Luna took in the interior of the house. It didn't appear to have been taken very well care of. This was probably due to the fact that only four men lived at the house. All four of them had jobs, according to Ctekosa, the nurse Luna had met previously at the hospital. The entryway was connected with the kitchen, which had a simple wooden table in the center and the usual kitchen appliances such as an oven (which was obviously rarely used) and a refrigerator. A nearly full sink was displeasing to the eye, not to mention the newspaper simply lying out on the kitchen counter.

"Hey," Spencer called, walking into the living room. Luna quickly followed him, staying close behind him. He was quite the normal person, and she had the instinctive feeling she could trust him, which was a major relief on her part. The living room had gray carpeted floors, an old couch on one side, and a television set on the other. Two other men were watching it; it appeared to be a program about a 'Rock Music Video Countdown' of sorts.

One of the men was about six inches shorter than Luna was, and she was only 5'6. He had dark purple hair and was staring at the TV, probably not even noticing her.

The other stood up, proving to be a bit taller than she was. He had red hair and piercing ice blue eyes. He looked from Spencer to the girl next to him and tilted his head slightly, "Is this her?"

"Yeah," Spencer said, gesturing for Luna to introduce herself.

Almost expecting an unfriendly forehead poke from an invisible Saint Jude, she was a little surprised when she didn't get one. So she reluctantly offered her hand, "I'm… Luna. Luna Dreher."

The red head shook her hand, nodding once. "Tala Valkov." He motioned towards the other and said, "That's Ian." Luna managed a slight smile, still taking in her surroundings. "I'll show you… where your room is," he said slowly, studying her with an inquisitive look. She nodded and followed him after glancing at Spencer, who gave her a reassuring nod.

Tala led her down the hallway and opened the door to the first room on the left. "This is more of an office room, but we don't really use it. I'm sure you can make use of it."

"Yes," she said, looking at it. "Thank you." The room was small, but she could work with it. There was a single window in the back, a closet on the left side, and an unfortunately twin-sized bed on the right side. It had the same gray carpet, but other than that, was quite empty other than a desk in front of the window. But even that had nothing on it.

"Sure," he said, turning to walk out of the room. He glanced back at her, "One more lives with us. Bryan. He's at work right now, though; works the night shift," he explained.

"Okay," Luna replied, nodding to him before following him out of the room. She shut the door behind her and went with him back into the living room, where Ian and Spencer were talking about the current video that was playing. It was an old Ozzy Ozbourne song called 'Paranoid.' An unconscious smile crept across Luna's lips as she looked at the television set, listening to one of her old favorites.

After the song finished, the program went to a commercial break, finally losing Ian's interest. He finally took notice of the dark haired girl and looked at her up and down for a few seconds. "Oh, is that the chick with amnesia?"

Spencer jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow, shooting him a glare. "Ian, this is Luna. Luna… this is Ian."

Luna couldn't help but let the smile linger on her face, "It's nice to meet you."

"Uh… yeah," Ian said. "So you're gonna be our maid?"

She raised her eyebrows, wondering how he could be so lacking in manners. "Put bluntly… yes, I am." Before he could ask another question, Luna turned to Spencer. "Um… could you show me where the cleaning supplies are? Like a vacuum, a broom…" she trailed off. "You know… things like that."

Spencer glanced at Tala, who shrugged, watching a commercial advertising an upcoming Beyblading tournament. Then, Spencer stood up and said, "We don't have much. But I'll show you what we do have."

"Okay," she nodded, following him to a closet in the hallway. He opened it, revealing a vacuum, mop, broom, paper towels, and a feather duster that was still in the package. Luna sighed; men are truly hopeless. With a quick glance at the clock, she saw that it was six p.m.

Luna spent the next hour dusting the entire house, though not with the feather duster. She used a simple wet washcloth, insisting to Spencer that it picked up the dust a lot better than a dry object would. She also insisted that she didn't need any help when he offered. So the said blonde simply returned to finishing the music countdown with the other two. Every so often one of them would watch her with intense curiosity, as if she were some strange, alien-creature they had never seen before. She noticed, of course, since in her line of work, she was trained to know these things. Though she wasn't sure if she should find it amusing or frightening, she went with the first option.

When she was done, she put the dirty washcloth in a basket. Then she stepped into the living room and asked them if she could do their laundry tonight, so she didn't have to the next day. _All these good deeds better be piling up_, she thought to herself.

Spencer shrugged, "If you want to… it's sort of late, though. You don't have to do this…" It was clear he felt a little awkward about her cleaning.

"It's all right," she said. "I guess this is sort of my job, so…" she trailed off.

Spencer nodded and said, "The washing machine and dryer are in the basement. Do you need-"

"Thanks," Luna interrupted. "I don't need help, but I appreciate the offer. I'll find them." She was about to walk down the hallway, but glanced over her shoulder and mentioned, "I'm going to go into your rooms to gather your dirty laundry. Is that all right?"

"Sure, I guess…"

"Okay," she finished, heading into each room and filling up the basket. It was amazing the simply laundry basket didn't break. _Honestly, how did these guys __**manage**__ with such a mess…_ she thought with slight distaste. After starting her first load of laundry, she walked back upstairs and asked, "Have you three eaten anything?"

They shook their heads, still watching her as if she were a space alien.

Luna sighed, "I'll look to see if there's anything I can cook."

Tala got off the couch and followed her into the kitchen, "Uh, you won't find anything."

"Why not?"

"We don't really go grocery shopping," he explained, leaning against the wall and looking at the most likely empty kitchen cupboards.

Luna followed his gaze and opened each of the cupboards, finding what he said was quite true. "What have you been _eating_?"

He shrugged, "Things Spencer picks up from the gas station on his way home."

Ignoring his answer, Luna rummaged through what they _did_ have and managed to pull out two cans of a beef stew. "You guys like this?"

"I guess… doesn't mean we've ever _cooked_ it."

"Clearly," she replied disdainfully. She took out a two-quart cooking pot and set it on the stove. Ian sat down at the table and started watching her curiously again, so she assumed the television program was finally over. Tala was still leaning against the wall, but his eyes were on her, too. It was as if they had never seen someone cook.

Luna turned on the burner of the stove and set the pot on it. She glanced at the back of the can to quickly skim over the instructions, to make sure she knew what she was doing. After briefly reading it and summarizing it in her mind, she tried to open the first can. When it refused to budge, she frowned, staring at it for a while and trying to think of something to do.

Tala noticed her plight and walked over, "Let me try." With a simple 'pop' the lid was free.

"Thanks…" Luna said quietly, a little irritated at losing some of her feminine pride to a man. Tala opened the other one, and she poured the contents into the pot. _Perhaps I better explain this so they stop thinking I'm some sort of creature from outer space._ "What I'm doing is setting the flame to a very low heat. This will make the soup cook slowly, but the flavor will be the best," she explained, trying to say it in the simplest words she could think of.

"What _is_ it?" Ian asked, turning his stare to the cooking pot.

"It's a soup… there's beef and vegetables inside. It's good for you," she added, tilting her head to the side and looking at him as if it should have been obvious. She returned her gaze to the soup she was cooking. Eventually, all three of them were seated at the table reading different sections of the newspaper. Soon, the soup was finished. Luna poured equal portions of it into three bowls and put it in front of them, along with three silverware spoons.

They stared at it for quite a while before, frustrated, Luna pointed out, "It's not _poisoned_ you know."

Spencer, deciding to be the brave one, tried it first. He nodded approvingly at the taste, so the other two tasted it as well. Ian looked at Luna thoughtfully, "You know, I think we should keep her around; this is pretty good."

Luna sighed, "I'll clean your dishes in the morning. I'm going to get some sleep."

"Aren't you hungry?" Spencer asked.

Luna shook her head, "No. I think the coma took my appetite." It was true though; she wasn't hungry at all, just very tired, even though she had spent the last two weeks doing nothing but sleeping apparently. It was then that she realized she was still in her black dress, which was now dirty again. She looked down at it, pondering on what to do.

Tala caught on and stood up from the table, "Follow me." He led her into the room across from hers, which she assumed to be his. Opening one of his dresser drawers, he handed her a large white t-shirt with a pair of boxers. "Not the best, but it's all there is until you go shopping to get yourself something your size."

Luna smiled politely and accepted them, "Thank you."

* * *

The next day, Tala was the first one to get up. He walked into the kitchen, surprised at first to see Luna cooking God-knows-what. The black haired woman was wearing a light blue summer dress along with a pair of fuzzy, baby blue slippers. Her hair was pulled in a messy bun to keep it out of the way. She glanced at him for a brief moment before asking, "How do you like your eggs?"

Tala just stood there for a moment, staring at her with a bewildered look. He finally was able to move again and sat down at the table. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I woke up about two hours ago and went grocery shopping," she explained, getting out a few plates. "Ctekosa and I already went shopping for clothes as well. It didn't take too long, obviously. I didn't get much." She glanced at him again, "How do you like your eggs?" she repeated.

"Uh… scrambled, I guess…" He looked at the table, noticing the newspaper had been collected off the front porch already and placed on top of the mail. Then, he looked around the kitchen, noticing the dishes had been done. Nothing was laid out or even a little dusty like it had been the day before. It was like he was almost in a new home. He glanced at the clock, and all it said was nine a.m.

"You and the others must be deep sleepers," Luna commented as she scrambled the eggs.

As soon as she said this, three other groggy looking men slowly came into the kitchen, all sitting at the table. She recognized Spencer and Ian, but there was a new face amongst them. He had spiky silver hair with emerald green eyes and was looking at her with distaste. "Who's the woman?" he asked.

"She'll be living with us for a while," Tala replied, finally fully awake. "Luna… this is Bryan. Bryan, Luna."

"Nice to meet you, Bryan," Luna said, acknowledging him politely. If she was going to be spending her last five months on Earth with these guys, she had better be on good terms with them. "How do you three like your eggs?"

"Same way as him, I guess," Ian said, gesturing to Tala.

Spencer, knowing full-well Bryan wasn't a morning person, answered for both of them, "We'll keep it easy on you and all have the same thing."

"Okay," Luna answered, adding more eggs to the bowl she was scrambling. "There's coffee in the pot over on the counter; I just made it."

Tala looked from her to the coffee pot and back to her again. He stood up, poured himself a cup, and asked, "Why… are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" she asked innocently.

"Cleaning… cooking… all of it."

Luna couldn't help but laugh a little, "You guys are letting me stay here. Take no offense by this, but you don't seem the types to normally have guests. I'm sure my presence is more of a nuisance than a gift, so I'm trying to make it easy on the both of us." _Oh, I do hope all these good deeds are adding up..._

Ian smelled the bacon she was cooking and said, "Keep this up and it'll be nothing close to a nuisance, trust me."

Luna flipped the bacon and smiled, "That's good. Oh, and I finished all of your laundry. I forgot what belongs to whom, though, sorry. You'll have to go through it all."

"That's fine," Spencer said, taking the rubber band off of the newspaper. He opened it up and set it down, standing to get a cup of coffee. After he poured one, he sat back down at the table and took the first section.

Soon, Luna had plates in front of each of them. She sat down on the empty seat at the table and watched them stare at their meal with intense curiosity. "It's not going to bite you, you know. Good lord, with the way you all act around meals, one would think you've never had _food_ before."

None of them said anything for a while, until Spencer finally said, "Thanks, Luna."

"It's nothing," she said, taking a drink of her hot chocolate. "I guess I should be telling you to get used to it. I went through your refrigerator and cabinets and all I found was some absolutely useless items – some of which was stale. It's all replaced now, of course."

Ian swallowed his bite of eggs and smirked, "I could get used to this." He glanced at Tala, "You should have got us a serving wench a long time ago."

Luna frowned, feeling slightly annoyed with what he called her, but nonetheless chose to ignore it. She knew she had to score pointes to get into heaven, after all. That's the reason she was here in the first place. Tala's response surprised her, though. He was reading one of the newspaper articles and didn't once look up as he spoke. "She's not our serving wench; she's just here because she has no place else to go. It's not like she's a burden on us after all."

Of course, it wasn't what she wished he would have said, but it was certainly better than what she had expected. Luna would have to remember to teach little Ian proper manners in spare time.

Breakfast was soon over, and Spencer put on a heavy winter coat. He started to tie his boots when Luna gave him a questioning look, "Where are you going?"

He looked up at her, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I've got to be at work by ten. I get off at five, though, so I'll be back a little after then."

"Oh," she said. "Where do you work?"

Spencer had finished tying his boots and stood up, looking down at her. "I work at a metal factory. It's not the best work, but we need the money. The cost of living is expensive these days."

Luna nodded thoughtfully, "Yes… you're right, it is." She then wondered if she should get a job, since she was living at their home for free. Money probably was tight, what with the lack of employment options.

Spencer clearly was able to guess what she was thinking. "Don't worry about it; you're doing your share by cooking and cleaning. I have a feeling this place is going to be a lot more pleasant with you around."

Luna looked up at him smiling, "I agree. You guys clearly need a woman's touch."

"What do you mean by that?" Tala asked jokingly as he came into the room. She noticed he and Spencer were trying to keep things easy-going with Luna, and she appreciated their effort.

"I'm just kidding," she replied, putting her hands up in a teasing surrender. She then noticed that Tala had on a long white coat as well, with an orange trim. "Oh, you have to go somewhere, too?"

"I'm gonna drive Spencer and Ian to work; we've only got one car," he explained.

"Oh, where does Ian work?"

"He sorts data on the computer at the hospital," Tala said, buttoning his coat. "Yesterday was his day off. Bryan has the same job, but during the night shift."

Luna nodded, storing all of the information for a later time. "Okay. I'll see you when you get back then."

Spencer chuckled and patted her on the head. He glanced at Tala as they walked out the door, "We should keep her."

Tala laughed, getting into the driver's seat of the car, "You talk about her like she's our new kitten."

"She pretty much is," Ian said from the backseat. He had apparently been there for a while, as the engine had been started and the heat turned on.

"Interesting way of putting it," Tala smirked.

Ian rolled his eyes and tried to make his point by saying, "Well, Luna _is_ a **cat's** name."

Luna waved goodbye to them as they pulled out of the driveway. When they were gone, she closed the front door and headed into the living room, where Bryan was looking through the folded laundry on the couch. There was a basket at his side and he was putting his clothes in there. "Oh, Bryan, um… do you think you could help me separate all of their clothes? I highly doubt they're going to do it themselves."

Bryan didn't reply; instead, he just took the basket full of his own clothes and put it in his room. He came out a few seconds later and sat back down in front of the couch next to her. Then, he started putting things in piles. Luna smiled gratefully. "Thanks. It's only my second day here, so I'm not sure whose is whose."

After about twenty minutes, they had sorted through it all, and Luna proceeded to take it pile by pile into the respective owner's room, asking for directions from Bryan, of course. He didn't mind helping her, but that didn't mean he was all the way used to her yet. It would take time, but hey, she had five months.


	3. Bonding Time

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

_**Chapter Three:**_

**Bonding Time**

* * *

Tala came home soon after Luna and Bryan finished sorting the laundry. He went in his room to find the former putting all of his clothes in his dresser drawers. She heard him come in and looked at him, "Okay, I've organized all of this. This drawer is for undergarments, this one for night or lounging clothes – pajamas. These two will have pants and shirts. I also hung up the rest of your clothes in your closet. Let's try to have a system here, okay?"

Tala blinked a couple times, taking all of the information in. She spoke way too fast for him, not to mention she organized all of his _clothes_? This was going to take a lot of getting used to, that's for sure. "Uh… thanks."

"No problem," she said, standing up after she finished. "If you need anything, just ask. I'll make a few sandwiches when it gets close to lunchtime."

He just stood there, dumbfounded for a few minutes as she walked out of the room and into her own. She closed the door behind her, which finally brought him out of his trance. To think it was only beginning.

"You sound like a mother," a voice pointed out in Luna's room.

Luna looked in the direction of the window with raised eyebrows, "What did you expect? I have to do good deeds for this job, right?"

The disembodied voice spoke again, "For the most part, yes. It's interesting though… the way you're going about it." Soon, a body materialized, sitting on the windowsill. It was Saint Jude, the patron of children.

"Ah, Saint Jude," Luna said, sitting down on her bed. "To what do I owe the pleasure of the visit?"

"Don't worry about formalities," the saint replied simply. "I just thought you'd like to know about the four men you're living with, seeing as they're starting to grow on you and all."

Luna thought for a moment before nodding her head, "Now that I think about it, yes, I'm interested. What can you tell me about them?"

Saint Jude looked at her with mild curiosity, probably interested with how she was going to react to his information. "What if I were to tell you that your _precious boys_ aren't as nice at they seem to be?"

"What do you mean?"

He snapped his fingers, making a thick book appear from this air. After opening it and reading over a section quickly, he said, "You do realize none of them are going to heaven when they die, right?"

Luna was shocked, "What? Why?"

"They've killed people," Saint Jude explained nonchalantly as he looked at the book. "Says so right here. At least forty between the four of them. That's about ten each. That's one of the Ten Commandments, you know." Luna just continued to stare at him, mouth wide open. "They didn't know it at the time, of course, but it doesn't change the fact that all four of them live with over forty lives on their conscience. So how do you feel about living with murderers?"

Luna shook her head, "There's no way… Give me that book."

He shrugged and handed it to her, pointing to a paragraph with a list of names of the people they had been forced to kill. Of course, Luna was no stranger to death, being a spy in her former life. But she had never **killed** anyone. She had only been on one mission, and during that, _she_ was the one who got killed.

Regardless of that information, it stated in the book that they had worked for a man named Boris Balkov and an organization known as Biovolt. She read about their youthful teen years up until the Moscow Beyblading World Championship Tournament, where Biovolt was shut down. Apparently the killing stopped after that.

She pointed at that sentence, "There you have it, right there. They haven't done anything like that since then."

"Does recent years of simply living, not even believing in the Lord might I add, redeem childhood years of murder?"

Luna gave him the book back and looked to the floor. "They're good people; I can tell from just being around them in the short time I have. I'm sure they feel bad about what they did in the past…"

"You've only known them for less than a full twenty-four hours though, isn't that right?" He looked at her. "Whether or not any of them make it will largely depend on themselves. I'm sure it's safe to bet they'll probably be in a much worse situation when **they** hit Purgatory."

Without another word, Luna stood up and walked to her door. "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen."

"And how do you plan to do that? They don't let anyone in; they're completely secluded. They trust no one, and I can only imagine that has only increased with their fame as world class Beybladers."

Luna turned around, giving him a puzzled look. "Beybladers?"

"They fought at two world championships in their teen years," Saint Jude explained. "In any case, good luck; you're going to need it if you plan on going through with this." With that, he vanished as mysteriously as he appeared, and Luna simply walked out, closing the door behind her.

The day proceeded through rather gradually until around two; Tala started getting ready for something. He put his white and orange coat back on along with a pair of dark boots. It was then that Luna noticed a guitar case by the door. "Where are you going, Tala?"

He picked up the acoustic guitar case, "I play for a club down the road. It's not a _rave_," he added, seeing the look on her face. "Most people just go to relax and have coffee or something." He shrugged, "Money's money, right?"

Luna nodded solemnly, "I… I guess so."

Tala chuckled and patted her on the head, "I'll be back with Spencer and Ian around five-thirty." He glanced at the table, "Sorry, but could you put those papers in my room? I was writing a song earlier, but it still needs some work." He sighed, running an agitated hand through his crimson hair. "I'll have to finish it later or something."

"Sure," Luna replied, nodding her head. She waved goodbye as he walked out the door, "See you." When he was gone, she seated herself at the table and looked at the guitar tabs Tala had written during lunch and for a portion of the afternoon. She hummed it softly as she read the music – it was actually really good.

Bryan, who was getting a can of pop out of the fridge, glanced at her, "What song is that?"

"Something Tala wrote earlier," she replied, looking up at him. "It's really good, even if it's unfinished."

Luna handed the music sheets to Bryan, who looked it over, "'Didn't know Tala could write."

"Neither did I," she said, accepting them when he handed them back. "He was working on it during lunch, but I didn't ask questions. Now that I think about it, it looked like he was having trouble."

Bryan raised his eyebrows when he saw her pick up a pencil, "What – you're going to help him out?"

"I was thinking about it."

"Why would you do that?" he asked inquisitively.

Luna paused, "Well… I just thought it could be helpful. He seemed to be struggling with it, after all…" Bryan walked past her, patting her on the head once as he went back into the living room. Luna didn't ask questions; she was getting used to the common gesture the men seemed to share when speaking with her. It wasn't like it was an insult, after all, even if it made her feel more like their pet kitten. With that, she started working on finishing the song.

* * *

Spencer yawned as he opened the front door to the house. Today had been harsh; not only did he have to work on operating _his_ machines in the factory, but he also had to fix a few of the broken ones. He never even used those, but he was the only one who knew how to fix them! That made his progress for the day very little.

"Hey, you three," Luna greeted from the kitchen. She closed the oven quickly and stood in front of it. From Tala's point of view, he could swear she was hiding something. "How was work?"

"Stressful," Spencer sighed, taking a seat at the table.

Ian plopped down as well, noticing the table was set. Plates were set out, along with silverware and napkins. "What's all this for?"

Luna grinned, "Right on time. Glad you asked, Ian. Lo and behold, I made a big dinner for you all." She put on oven mitts, opened the oven, and attempted to pull something out. She looked rather awkward trying to lift the obviously heavy object.

Spencer, not wanting to see her struggle, got up and walked over to her. She gave him the oven mitts and he pulled out a large, black roasting pan that had a big, heavy, golden brown turkey inside. He set it on a wooden cooling platter as Luna directed and her amused look went between all three stunned men. She chuckled, "If this is the reaction I'm going to get every time I make you guys a meal, I look forward to it every day." They were silent for a while before Luna sighed, rolling her eyes. "Go on, fill up your plates."

She disappeared into the living room and came back with a mildly interested Bryan, who looked at the turkey with raised eyebrows. Ian was already eating his portion, "You've gotta try this, Bry," he said between mouthfuls.

After dinner, Bryan left for work at the hospital, Ian and Spencer worked on their Beyblades (Luna assumed it was still a hobby they liked to carry on from their childhood), and Tala took his guitar to his room. He came back a few minutes later holding a piece of paper. His icy blue eyes wandered from the paper once more to Luna as she put the dishes in the dishwasher.

The ebony haired woman must have felt his gaze on her, for she stopped what she was doing and turned around. "Do you need anything, Tala?"

Tala paused, looking at her with interest. Finally, he asked, "Did you… Did you write this?"

"No," she said simply. "You did."

Tala smiled slightly, shaking his head once. "Thanks. I was having trouble with the finish."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, glancing over her shoulder to wink at him.

He caught on immediately and chuckled lightly, "I was skeptical at first, I'll admit. But I think you've grown on me over time. I'm sort of glad you're here… Luna."

She smiled, closing the dishwasher and pushing 'Start.' "That's almost a compliment from you, Blue Eyes."

Tala sighed, "Yeah. Almost."

* * *

The next day, Tala woke up earlier than he thought he would and walked into the living room sleepily. He was a little surprised to see Luna sitting on the couch, holding a bowl of Cheerios, and staring at the television set wide-eyed.

She caught him looking quickly and said, "Come here, come here!"

Confused, Tala sat down next to her and looked at the TV. An old horror movie was on, called 'The Haunting.' Tala couldn't help but laugh, seeing her stare at the screen so bewildered. "You've never seen this?"

"Shh!" she said after swallowing a mouthful of Cheerios. The woman on the television was lying on her bed, looking at the headboard behind her. Children's faces were carved into the wood, and they would move every so often to stare at her. It was creepy, but Tala had already seen the movie a couple times. Not to mention, he had far too much 'manly pride' to reveal that he thought it was _slightly_ scary.

"Why are they staring at her?" Luna asked, not taking her eyes of the screen as she leaned closer to Tala. "Why do they keep doing that? **How** are they doing that?"

"They're trapped in the house," Tala said, curious by her closeness.

"What trapped them there?" she wondered, slightly panicked.

Tala chuckled, "Don't you want to find out in the end of the movie?"

This made her finally look at him as if he were insane, "No."

Tala rolled his eyes, "The owner of the mansion killed them all so his house would be full of little kid's laughter. Instead it's full of their _screams_," he added in a creepy tone of voice.

Luna bopped him on the head with her free hand, "Don't do that!"

An evil grin crossed the red head's features. "Scared?"

"No," she lied, trying to glare at him but to no avail. Tala laughed again and stood up. Luna immediately grabbed his sleeve, "Wait! If you go, those freaky kids will come out of the TV and murder me!"

Tala looked at her skeptically, "No they won't."

"My imagination insists otherwise." Well... Luna _was_ a spy. She had seen a lot of crazy things in her training days and during her first mission; things could damn well come out of the television set as far as she was concerned!

Defeated because he knew she wouldn't shut up, Tala sat back down and continued watching the movie, taking notice of when Luna would be calm and when she would scoot closer to him. Interestingly enough, the bloody scenes weren't what scared her, it was all the ones with the moving furniture and 'invisible forces' that the viewers couldn't see, though the main character could. He put his arm behind her head and rested it on the shoulder opposite his side as the two of them made it through the movie, bowl of Cheerios and all.

When it was finished, Luna turned the television set off with the remote control and put her empty bowl into the sink so she could wash it later. Then she went back in the living room and said, "So… Tala…"

He looked up at her with raised eyebrows, "…What?"

"Want to play that song for me?"

Tala blinked, a little surprised, "The one from yesterday?" She nodded. "Right now?" Another nod. "Right here?" She nodded again. "Uh… okay." Tala walked into his room with Luna following and closed the door behind her. He gestured for her to take a seat on his bed while he took out the acoustic guitar. Tala sat next to her and briefly glanced at the music sheet again before he started to play.

The music was, to say the least, perfection. Tala didn't even have to put any effort into it at all as his fingers slid across the strings hitting each chord and note flawlessly. He clearly had the skill of years of practice. Not to mention the song he wrote was a masterpiece by itself. Luna enjoyed it when she read it the day before, but now being able to hear it was something completely different.

When he got towards the end, his ice blue eyes briefly glanced at the music sheet, still not missing a note, and played the part Luna had filled in. It was an excellent finish. Luna clapped her hands when he was done, "That was amazing. I knew the song was good when I read it, but I had no idea it would sound this great when you actually played it. You're really talented!"

Tala chuckled, "Not really; I just threw a bunch of random chords together."

"How long have you been playing?" she asked, interested.

Tala thought for a moment, "Five years now, I think."

Luna smiled, "Have you ever considered adding lyrics to your songs?"

"Haha, no way," he said, shaking his head once. "I may be able to write music, but poetry is a completely different story."

"Not true, it's not that hard," she insisted. She picked up the music sheet and looked at it, "See… right here, could be something like… hmm… '_Through the haze that is my memory'_…" she sang softly, then pointed to the next line, "'_You stayed through drama, though you paid for a comedy_,' or something else that rhymes." Luna giggled slightly, "I'm not the best with words, either, but I think it would work. Just takes a little effort."

"Too much effort," Tala laughed. "You're right, though… something like that could work. Like right here," he added, pointing to one of the lines. "'_I watch their backs as they leave single-file_," he moved to the next line, pointing where he was with his index finger. "'_You stood stubborn, cheering all the while.'_"

Luna smiled broadly, "That's perfect! See? You could add the best words to that!"

"Maybe," Tala said grinning. "I'll think about it. I'll probably need your help, though."

"Nah," she replied in a teasing tone of voice. "You've got a knack for music; I can tell."

* * *

**TK**: I can't put a link in here. But the song is "Colorful" from the movie _Rockstar_. Check it out if you want! It's got Marky-Mark ;)


	4. Eviction Notice

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Eviction Notice**

* * *

Weeks passed full of Luna taking care of the house, cooking for the guys, and doing whatever she could to help them out. The four of them had really made an impression on her; they were so different from anyone else she had ever met in her entire life.

Spencer was the mature one of the group; he was wise and caring – probably far more than the other three. He always looked out for Luna, making sure she didn't work to hard, and she repaid him by doing the same to him. The two constantly had joking arguments about the other doing too much work. Spencer worked the most and hardest out of them all, with his job in the metal factory.

Ian was the insane, fun one. He could almost be described as psychotic. Friday nights, the five of them would sit on the couch to watch a horror movie, and Ian actually _cheered_ when the bad guy killed one of the victims – especially when there was a lot of blood. He took to Luna by teasing her playfully and making fun of her. She knew he never meant it, but she also knew he'd never admit that he didn't mean it.

Tala was just as fun as Ian. He appeared to be the more relaxed, joking one in the group. In his spare time, he played his guitar in his room so he wouldn't bother anyone by playing in the living room. Whenever she could, Luna would go into his room to listen and offer support. He really was very good at his job, and he knew it. He played the modest act every so often, but it was obvious the red head was an extremely proud person – if not a little egotistical and cocky!

Bryan appeared to be the stoic, emotionless of the group. He had a shell that he simply refused to come out of. Gradually, his defenses slipped out when he was around Luna, which was a good thing in her opinion. Bryan helped her out with a few things, like opening pickle jars or reaching shelves or cabinets she was too short to reach. Of course, none of this happened without a teasing comment about her height or weakness. He, like Ian, never meant a word of it, though.

"Good morning, Bryan," Luna said pleasantly as the first of her boys came into the kitchen.

Bryan sat down, paused for a moment, and then said, "'Morning."

"Waffles sound good?"

"Sure." The silver haired man stood up, green eyes looking out the window. "I'm gonna get the mail."

"Oh, don't you need your-" but he was already out the door. "…Coat?" Luna sighed and started to make the waffles.

Spencer came in and sat down at the table, "Morning, Luna."

"Good morning," Luna smiled. "I'm making waffles, is that okay?"

"Sounds great!" Ian called from the hallway. He walked into the kitchen and sat in his usual spot at the table.

Bryan came back into the house soon after, closing the front door behind him. He was staring at a particular letter that he had already opened. A sleepy Tala finally entered the kitchen as well and yawned as he sat down at the wooden table. He looked at Luna, "Something smells good; what's on the menu today?"

"Waffles," she replied, putting a plate in front of Bryan's seat. She proceeded to finish more servings as Bryan finally sat down at the table. He didn't look up from the letter he was reading even as he set the rest of the mail and the newspaper in front of him.

"_U tyebya vsyo v aryadke?_" Tala asked after a while. Luna heard the foreign language, that she had no idea how to speak, but didn't say anything. (Are you okay?)

"_Nyet_…" Bryan said quietly. (No…)

Spencer looked at him, concerned, "What's in the letter?" Bryan hesitated, and then gave it to the blonde man. Spencer gave him a confused look, but took it anyway and read it. His expression immediately grew serious.

"What, what is it?" Tala wanted to know. Luna finished making breakfast and giving everyone a plateful, so she sat down herself, pouring a glass of orange juice.

"We're going to be evicted," Spencer said softly, handing Tala the letter.

Tala took it, read it over slowly, and then set it on the table. The look on his face was unreadable; he ran a completely stressed hand through his fiery red hair. Spencer put his face in his hands, unable to figure out how to handle the information. After Ian read it, the violet haired man decided to look at the bright side, "Look, guys. We've got a week to come up with the money for the house payment. That's enough time right?"

"And what do we do after that," Bryan replied emotionlessly. "It's over."

Luna immediately felt a rush of guilt pass over her. She felt completely naïve. Of course there were financial problems. Five adults living together in a little house? Not to mention one of them, meaning her, didn't have a job. She had no money coming in to help them pay for the house. She paused before asking, "…Is there anyone we can borrow money from? Friends or someone?"

"There's no one," Bryan informed. "We're alone."

"Not _completely_," Tala protested.

"Bryan's right," Spencer sighed. "However, I'm not going down without a fight. We've got to at least try to come up with the money."

Luna stood up and walked to her room. She came back a few minutes later with a long black coat on with fuzzy ends on the sleeves and around the hood. "I'm going to go look for work."

"No, you're not," Tala said, standing up as well. "You do your share by taking care of the house. It's not your place to try to earn some money."

"I've got to at least put forth an effort!" she insisted. "I live here, too!"

Spencer shook his head, "Tala's right. Your place is here, Luna. Let _us_ take care of the money. I'm sure we'll… think of something," he tried, though his voice was slightly faltering.

"I've got to get to work," Ian said softly. He clearly didn't like talking of the subject.

Tala nodded, "All right. Come on, I'll take you and Spencer and then come back. Try to get in overtime, if you can."

Spencer nodded, "I'll try. We've got too many workers as it is, though."

Luna just listened to the financial problems that went on in their home. It was heartbreaking. To think that the cost of living had increased so far that the middle class was practically wiped out. There had to be at least _something_ she could do. Ctekosa probably had her own problems to deal with, since it was house payment week. She was certain she wouldn't have any money to spare in a loan, not to mention, the others wouldn't appreciate Luna asking for money.

* * *

Four days passed. Everyone was growing desperate. No extra money had come in. Luna prayed every day for access to her funds back in England, but Saint Peter ignored her every time. Spencer couldn't get in overtime, and the hospital had limited work as it was for Ian and Bryan. Tala's main income was in tips. Growing desperate, he knew he had one option left. He had to talk to Luna.

He knocked on the door, and after hearing a, "Come in!" he entered, closing it behind him. Luna was kneeling down by her bed… it looked like she had been praying. When she saw it was him, she immediately stood up and then sat down on her bed right. "Here, have a seat," she said, trying to force a smile.

Tala sat down next to her and rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. He clearly had something he wanted to say, but it was difficult to come up with the words. "What's wrong, Tala?" Luna asked. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

He bit his lip, "Luna… I know… you have amnesia and all… but…" Luna looked away, not liking the fact that she had to lie about having amnesia to the four people whom she had come to really like over the past few weeks. "But… is there anything you remember? Anything at all… like…" he sighed, "…a credit card number."

Luna exhaled slowly, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Tala." However, that was when an idea came to her. Something clicked in her mind, and she just _had_ to give it a shot. "You know… I'm going to go see Doctor Livingstone. Maybe there's some more information we can find on me. I find it hard to believe that all they know is my age and name."

"I'm sorry," Tala said, standing up. It was clear he was losing self-respect after asking such a question. "I shouldn't have asked that…"

"No, it's okay," Luna assured. "I want to try to save the house. I'm sure there's something we can do. I'm going to change real quick," she finished. Tala nodded and walked out the door, closing it for her privacy. However, Luna had something else in mind. She looked to the ceiling and with a gesture in the air with her hands motioning downwards, she said, "All right, Saint Peter. No more ignoring me. Get down here. We need to talk. Now."

A silent swirl of pastel colors and winds blew around her and then twirled around in a circle in front of her. They were then replaced by Saint Francis. Luna frowned, "You're not the one I wanted to talk to. Where's Saint Peter."

"Busy," Saint Francis replied sadly. "I'm sorry I'm not the one you wanted, but I'll have to do. What is it you need, Luna?"

"I want my old bank account number. The one in England," she informed. "I want access to all of my money."

Saint Francis sighed. "You know I can't do that. It would reveal who you were in your lifetime."

"A lifetime of barely twenty-three years," Luna said bitterly. "All it would reveal was who I was _before _I became a spy. The government made sure I disappeared from existence after that point, but they wouldn't have cancelled my bank account. As far as the general public knows, I still live in that house in Lichfield."

"Nonetheless, it can't be done."

"But these people are going to be evicted!" Luna exclaimed in desperation. "What happened to helping those with faith?"

Saint Francis shook his head, "They have no faith." With that, he disappeared, leaving the discussion at a close.

Luna pounded her fists on the bed in frustration once before standing up and resisting the urge to throw her bible out the window. "What a world we live in," she muttered. She changed her clothes, put on her coat, and walked out the door, heading into the kitchen.

"You ready?" Tala asked.

"Yeah," Luna said quietly. She knew the doctor would find nothing, but she didn't say it. They got in the old car, drove to Wellcare Medical Services, and asked to see Doctor Livingstone. Lucky for them, he was able to see the two of them fairly quickly.

"Hello," he greeted pleasantly. "What seems to be the problem? Not having any head problems, are you, Luna?"

Luna paused, "No… why?"

"Oh, nothing, that's just a common side effect of amnesia."

"Oh," Luna said softly. "I was wondering… if there was any way you could find out more about me."

Doctor Livingstone sighed, "I doubt it. Sorry. We already tried what we could, and all we were able to gather was your name and age."

"There was nothing else?" she persisted. "No other information or way you can find something out?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"But-"

"Luna," Tala interrupted. "It's all right. Let's go."

* * *

Three more days passed. They were full of packing, even though there wasn't much _to_ pack. Luna continued to pray, though every single prayer was left ignored. She went through her days helping the men pack their things, cooking for them, and watching them leave for work. They no longer bought anything. Every ounce of money they earned they put together for saving.

The smiles disappeared. No more laughter rang through the house at all anymore. The only time words were spoken was out of obligation. Other than that the house was in silence. Ian's psychotic comments were replaced with cynical ones every time he spoke. Bryan never said anything unless it was about the 'shitty state of the economy.' Spencer rarely spoke at all, though usually encouraging words such as, "We'll pull through somehow." Even those were filled with half-hidden pessimism.

All Tala ever did was stay in his room and play guitar. He came out to go to work and that was about it. Luna had to bring him his meals or he simply wouldn't eat. Every single song he played was depressing, and it drove her insane. On the morning of the seventh day, the day the movers were going to come to evict them, she entered his room to bring him breakfast.

Tala was still sleeping, so she put it on his desk. Luna walked over to his bed and sat down beside him. She gently brushed his bangs out of his eyes and whispered, "Tala. Tala, I've got your breakfast here. You need to eat something."

Tala slowly awoke and rose up, but he didn't get up to get his food. Luna sighed, "Tala, it's not the end of the world. We'll think of something."

He shook his head once, stood up, and walked over to the window, looking out. "I've known these guys since I was at least five years old. We've pulled through a lot tougher situations than this. We had to live under the strict dictation of a madman and we still made it. We put our money from Beyblading tournaments together and bought this place. And now look at us," he said, finally turning to face her. "This isn't right."

Luna stood up and walked to the door. "I'll fix it," was all she said before disappearing into her room. She pulled out her bible from her drawer and threw it on the floor, putting her foot on the cover. Luna looked to the ceiling and spoke in a dark, demanding tone of voice. "Get. Down. Here. Now."

A quick rush of colorful winds blew past her and stopped, revealing a new saint. He had bright, white wings, curly locks of brown hair, and stood with his arms folded, looking at her. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you who I am," he said, the sword at his side glistening in the sunlight.

"Why won't Saint Peter face me himself," Luna asked, not changing her tone.

"You need to calm down," the winged saint replied. "You should be honored; not every human lays their eyes upon me."

Luna bit her lip, "I'm sorry, …Saint Michael the Archangel. Please…" she went to her knees, putting the bible in front of her as she looked towards the ground. "Please help me."

Saint Michael looked out the window, "This is a beautiful country, don't you think? Frozen in snow like this; it's hardly like the place you'll go should you fail your ordeal."

Luna nodded once, "I know."

The winged saint knelt down in front of her, looking her in the eyes. "If I do this for you, it will decrease the amount of time you have to redeem for your sins."

"I've already wasted three weeks," she said. "My original time limit was five months. How much will it be reduced to?"

"Three."

"Done," she said, shaking his hand once, never losing eye-contact. Saint Michael vanished, and in his place was a piece of paper containing all the numbers and passwords to gain access to her checking account back in England. Now to find a bank in Moscow that will accept it and give her the money.

Luna rushed out of her room and into Tala's, "Tala! Hurry, get up, get dressed, we've got to go!"

"Where?" he asked, slightly startled by her sudden change in expression.

"I remember my bank account number! I can get us the money to save the house!"

Tala's eyes widened momentarily before he grabbed her hand and rushed out the door, getting in the car immediately. "Do you remember where you were from? Like what your nationality is? You're obviously not Russian."

"England," she told him.

"I had a feeling," Tala murmured as he pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road towards Moscow's International Bank.

They parked and quickly ran through the doors and up to one of the clerks. Luna pulled out the slip of paper Saint Michael had given her and gave the information to the old woman. "Please, this is very urgent!"

"Calm down, miss," the clerk said, checking the computer system. "All right, I can issue a withdrawal, but since it's a completely different bank, there will be a fee."

"That's fine, just please give me that withdrawal!"

They got the money from the bank and raced to the car. Tala sped out of the parking lot and drove to the house as fast as he could. A car was already parked in the driveway when they got there. The two of them got out and quickly entered the house.

"We got the money!" Luna exclaimed, holding the funds in front of her.

"Too late," said the man standing in the kitchen connected to the entryway. He wore a dark gray business suit, a black tie with a matching hat, and had an overall impression about him that was just unpleasant. "You were to have it within a week; time's up."

Bryan clenched his fists, using every ounce of willpower he had to not beat the landlord's face in. Spencer looked at the man, confused. "I don't understand. We have the money for the month's payment; why can't we pay you and stay in the house?"

"That doesn't make a difference," he replied. "The point is that you were late for your last three house payments. You probably won't even be able to find the money for next month. Besides, I shudder to think what low deeds you pulled to acquire it for _this_ month."

That sent Tala past the limit. He grabbed the landlord by the collar of his suit and shoved him against the wall. "How **dare** you," he said in a menacing tone of voice. "You come in here parading around like you're better than us – you even practically call us criminals. We _have_ the money; that **should** be enough! Just the sight of you pisses me off."

Tala formed a fist with his hand, but Luna rushed up to him and instinctively held onto his arm tightly with both of hers. "Tala, no!" she cried. "You'll be sent to prison if you hit him!"

The landlord smirked, standing up straight and adjusting his business suit. "Listen to the wench. In any case, you have until 6 o'clock tonight to get your possessions out of here." With that, he strode out of the house, never once looking back.

Spencer sighed and sat down at the table, putting his face in his hands. Ian did the same, running a worried hand through his purple hair in a pained manner. Bryan and Tala just stood there as if frozen in place. Luna let go of Tala's arm. She walked to the kitchen counter facing the window, closed her eyes, and interlocked her fingers to pray. She sacrificed two months of her remaining time on Earth to save the house only for it to be taken away?

Suddenly, Bryan pulled her hands apart, "Stop doing that!" Everyone looked over, and Luna looked up at him. "No one's listening to your prayers, so why do you do it?"

"Because it calms me down!" Luna yelled back. "It's my only solace when I see the world in such an awful state!"

Bryan scowled and started walking away. "If someone was listening, and your God was real, none of this would have happened." He turned his head, looking at her. "Where was your God when Boris forced orphans like us to kill people." With that, he disappeared into his room.

Spencer sighed, standing up and putting an arm around Luna's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Lulu," he said. "It's just hard to believe when all these bad things have happened." He patted her on the head and walked into his room to finished packing.

Luna paused and then walked into her own room, finding Saint Francis standing by her window. She sat on her bed and waited for him to speak. "I'm sorry, Luna."

"If you mean that," she began, "you'll let me take them to my home in England."

"You know I can't do that," he said depressingly. "Your government would be aware of your survival and you would go back to being a spy. You can't save people as a spy."

"Then let them at least have a home!" Luna demanded desperately. "How can you be a messenger of God? How can **this** be God's will? He is supposed to love everyone unconditionally!"

Saint Francis shook his head solemnly, "You heard them just now; no faith. The Lord loves all, but there is little He can do if no one believes."

"That's a lie," Luna muttered as she walked out the door. She headed into the kitchen and the phone started ringing. "Aren't you going to get that?" Neither Ian nor Tala moved. Luna sighed and picked it up herself, "Hello?"

"_Hi-uh… I might have the wrong number…_"

"Who are you trying to reach?"

"_Uh… Tala Valkov, I guess. Doesn't really matter which of the four I talk to, though…_"

"Oh, um… please hold on." She covered the mouthpiece of the phone and looked at Tala, "Tala? Phone call."

"Who is it?" he asked dryly.

"May I ask who's calling please?" Luna asked into the phone. She looked back up at Tala, "Tyson Granger."


	5. The First Mission

__**TK**: Sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter! This is mostly a flashback one; we get a glimpse into Luna's life as a spy. Thought it'd add a bit of excitement. Kai-man finally makes his entrance in this chapter, and next chapter, we see a familiar face for people who read **The Outcast and the Enigma**: Sonja.

* * *

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**The First Mission**

* * *

Tala took the phone reluctantly, "Hello?"

"_Hey man, how ya been_?"

Tala cringed, holding the phone away from his ears, "Look, Tyson, thanks for calling and all, but now's not the best time."

"_What's up_?"

"Nothing. You won't be able to reach us at this number anymore, either."

"_Huh? Why_?"

Another voice was heard in the background, "_Tyson, give me the phone, now_."

"_N-ugh-hey! No fair, Kai!_"

"_What's going on, Tala_?" the new voice asked.

"It's nothing," Tala assured. "Everything's fine; we can handle it."

"_Tala, the last time you said everything was fine and you could handle it, Boris got out of prison_."

Tala couldn't help but smile slightly. "You'll never change, Kai. Too damn smart." He sighed, "We got evicted."

"_When? Where are you now_?"

"Packing. We have to be out by six tonight."

"_Hold on_," Kai said, setting the phone down. He came back a few minutes later, "_There's a flight to Tokyo in two hours. Get on it._"

"Kai, are you crazy?"

"_I just booked four tickets. See you in a few hours._"

Tala paused, "Look, Kai, I appreciate it, but-"

"_Shut up and quit letting your damn ego get in the way. We're best friends you fag_."

Tala's eye twitched, "Alright. Make it five tickets. As soon as I get there, I'm kicking your ass."

"_We'll see about that. Five tickets booked. See you then._" The redhead hung up the phone and grinned, shaking his head once.

Unable to hold in her curiosity, Luna asked, "What's going on?"

Tala smiled broadly as he scooped her up in his arms and spun in a circle once. He set her down and exclaimed, "We're gonna make it after all!"

"That's great!" Luna replied happily.

"Spencer!" Tala called. "Bryan! Move your asses; we've got a plane to catch!"

Spencer came out followed by an equally confused Bryan. The blonde tilted his head to the side, "Plane ride…?"

Tala nodded, hugging Luna again, "All those prayers of yours were answered! Ugh, I could kiss you!"

Ian laughed, "We're going to Japan. I'd have called it a stroke of luck that Kai and that obnoxious moron called, but it's such a coincidence."

Tala grinned, "First thing I'm doing is buying you a cross, Lulu."

Luna giggled, "Thanks, guys, but I don't think it was my prayers. You clearly have friends who care a lot about you."

Tala smiled, patted Luna on the head, and then turned to the others. "The flight leaves in two hours. We gotta hurry."

"I'll start loading the car," Bryan said. "Move the boxes near the door, and I'll get them."

"Okay!" Luna nodded, rushing to her room. She paused, looking at the bible that still lay on the floor. She picked it up and looked at the window, "…Was it you…?"

Saint Francis slowly materialized, sitting on the windowsill, "No, actually. It was the bond they had with their friends over there in Japan. Interesting, isn't it, Luna?"

"Yes," Luna said thoughtfully. "Interesting…"

* * *

It was to be a long plane ride, so everyone busied themselves with their own activities. Ian decided to watch the movie _The Shining_ with Tala. Spencer and Bryan chose to sleep instead of watch a movie that they had seen a hundred times. Not in the mood for a horror movie, Luna was thrown into her own world of thoughts. Like Saint Peter told her three weeks before in front of the Gates of Heaven… she didn't live a very fulfilling life.

Luna graduated from high school with just above average grades, nothing too special. Her family set up an arrangement for her to major in music for college, which she ignored, joining the military instead. Her excuse was that it provided better and more useful training for modern times. In reality, music just wasn't her thing. The talent was in her blood with a family of musicians, but it wasn't, in her words, _exciting_ enough.

She wanted more in life. Luna wanted something special. Recognizing her skills in staying silent, Luna was offered her training as a spy instead of a soldier. She wasn't stupid; she knew the life of a fighter wasn't for her. It was for strong, fighter's-spirit-infested people, and it wasn't her thing. Her inner craving to live her thrilling life was not to be fulfilled in the military.

After four years of training in the art of stealth and silence, she was given her first mission. Luna frowned at the thought, staring out the window of the airplane at the sky. It was her first mission… and it resulted in her death.

* * *

"You sure you can handle this?" the male voice asked from Luna's headset.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied, slightly irritated that not many had faith in her. Tossing the headset to the side, she put on her classy heels, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door, memories of her boss's words going through her mind.

"_I realize this is your first mission, so I'll keep it simple," an elderly woman said, knowing full-well Luna wasn't ready for it realistically. "In Moscow, there's a man I want you to investigate. People know him as the Serpent of Destruction – a possible codename for an assassin. All we know is he's working for a man named Dmitriev who is conveniently hosting a party at his home there. Of course," she added with a grin, "you've merited yourself an invitation."_

_Luna nodded, "So all I need is to get close to him, get the information, and report back?"_

"_Exactly."_

Luna took her seat in the taxi, gave the destination, and continued to look out the window, pondering over her plan inside her mind. When the cab stopped, she paid and got out as she took a good glance at the mansion in front of her. It was fairly new with three stories to the full extent. Lighted windows dotted the sides and people in fancy tuxedos and ball gowns drifted throughout the second floor; an easy assumption could be made that _that_ was where the ballroom was.

Luna couldn't help but smile slightly, starting to feel a bit relieved of the situation. _If people are dancing in the ballroom, that must be where the party is. If the party is there, the host is there, and if the host is there, his snakey little bodyguard is there as well._

She stepped towards the entrance of the mansion with her heels making soft clicks against the cobblestone path. A tall man with a large, furry brown coat stood up from his seat on the bench near the door. "_Kak vas zavoot_?" he asked. (What's your name?)

Luna paused, "…Excuse me?" The foreign language was completely unknown to her, and at that moment, she had a slight inclination to head back home to Britain, learn Russian, and then come back to resume the mission in less than five seconds, excluding the fact that it wasn't possible.

The man rolled his eyes, "Your name?"

"Luna Dreher."

He looked at his clipboard and nodded in her direction, crossing her name off on the list of people allowed to go to the party. "Go on in," he said, gesturing towards the door with his head.

"Thank you," Luna replied, walking inside the mansion. There was a free coat hanger to her left, so she took off her long white coat and hung it up, brushing off her black dress. Briefly glancing at the tall mirror on the side to check her hair, which was pinned up in a bun, she nodded to herself and walked upstairs.

As she saw from the windows outside, many people had already arrived at the party. Luna assumed she was fashionably late and simply sat down in a nearby chair. She took out her pocket mirror from her purse and pretended to be checking her makeup while she looked through the room, scanning for the man, Dmitriev. Her boss had provided her with a photograph of the man which she had studied before coming here. Satisfied that she knew what he looked like, now it was simply a matter of finding him.

It didn't take long. He was the only one sitting at a table with two men on either side. Both were in dark gray suits and had quite unpleasant looks about them. The one to Dmitriev's left had short brown hair and sunglasses on. Luna couldn't help but raise her eyebrows; it seemed someone had seen far too many mafia movies. The other man was scanning the people of the room, probably looking for possible threats. His slightly graying hair proved him to be the older of the three. Dimetriev had black hair, like Luna, and unlike his bodyguards, a slightly more pleased look on his face.

_Now how to go about this,_ she thought to herself. It was her first mission, so she **had** to proceed with caution. Not that she didn't have to with any other job, but this was special. It was her… first impression in a way. The first mission is what would decide what assignments she got in the future. No more petty rewards for her successful training exercises; now it was time to bring in real money.

Luna stood up, having made up her mind what card to play. It was a difficult game, but she was a key player. Though she didn't have much skill in the ways of pretending to be the seductive party attendee, it was definitely worth a shot since she was dealing with men. She put her mirror in her purse and walked over to Dmitriev's table, though didn't sit town. Putting on an elegant smile, she gazed at him and said, "I must say, this is a lovely party."

All three men had their eyes on her. She couldn't read the expression of the one in sunglasses, the other bodyguard was studying her intensely, and Dmitriev seemed completely oblivious to her true intentions. No wonder he needed bodyguards with him at all times, even at a party. He gave her a charming smile and motioned towards the free seat at the white table. "Thank you," he replied with a thick Russian accent. "And your name is?"

"Luna," she replied, looking away in an embarrassed fashion. She inwardly sighed with relief; so far everything was working. "It really is nice though," she said. "The music, the décor… the people."

Dmitriev grinned showing fine, white teeth, "That's always a nice compliment. Miss Luna, I don't remember sending you an invitation, though. Were you brought as a guest?"

Luna froze, having not expected that question. The older bodyguard narrowed his eyes when he saw the slightest hint of struggling in her. She had to think of something – fast. "Well, more so… I'm a friend of a friend," she added with a fake giggle. "Bosche couldn't make it, so I took his place." _Please buy the fake name,_ she thought. _Please buy the fake name…_

Dmitriev gave her a quizzical look, "Bosche? Where have I heard that name before…" he trailed off.

"Oh, that's all right," Luna insisted, wishing to speed the conversation. "So who are these gentlemen with you?"

The man in question raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised by her interest. "…Old friends," he said. He gestured to both of them, the younger first, "Mr… Kazakov, and Mr…"

Before he could lie about the second name, the older man interrupted, "You can call me… Snake."

Luna paused, "Oh… well… it's nice to meet you… Snake." Now she _knew_ this was the so-called 'Serpent of Destruction.' "Surely that can't be your… real name, right?"

He continued his unrelenting gaze upon her as if trying to force her to crumble upon it. Unfortunately for her, it was working. The same thought kept going through her mind over and over again: _He knows…_

"W-well, it was lovely talking to you," Luna said, cursing herself for stuttering. She stood up quickly and picked up her purse. As she turned to walk away, the slit up her leg must have revealed the black strap holding her gun in place, for the 'Serpent of Destruction' as he was called stood up as well, immediately pulling out a gun of his own.

Luna's eyes widened and she ducked just in time, taking her gun and pointing it at him. Screams from the other guests echoed through the ballroom, but Luna continued backing towards the stairs. When her back met the door, she used her free hand to open it, and rushed inside, sprinting down the stairs. She stumbled on her high heels giving her no other option but to rip them off her feet, removing the straps on both. The door at the top of the stairs burst open, and the Snake shot his gun in her direction again.

She panicked, burst through the front door, and continued running. She ran behind the mansion, hoping to elude her pursuer. Heading for the sound of a waterfall, she had a good feeling there would be a river or lake nearby that she could dive into to get away. The bodyguard turned the corner quickly, still following her. He must have had only one bullet left, for he didn't shoot.

It was then that Luna realized the waterfall wasn't going to be her method of escape. She nearly stumbled down a cliff when she came to an abrupt halt at the edge. The waterfall itself was nothing more than a small stream hitting a very far down ground. Judging from the distance, even the impact from her hitting water and not solid earth would kill her, regardless of the fact that it would be near impossible for her to come in contact with.

"This is it."

* * *

"Luna," Spencer's voice said calmly, as Luna felt a hand gently resting on her shoulder. "The plane landed."

Luna opened her eyes, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She nodded, yawning quietly as she made an attempt to return to reality. Her mind was still shrouded in the fog of her failed mission, but she knew it wouldn't be long. She had to move on, and that was that. She was no longer a spy; Luna had a new life now, and seeing Tala standing at the plane's exit waiting for her was what reminded her of that fact. She smiled, "I'm coming."

"Hey, guys!" yelled an overly cheerful blonde rushing up to the group of five as they stepped out of the plane. Another guy with navy blue hair was right behind him, running as fast as he could, whereas a third was calmly walking in their direction. He had two-tone dark gray and midnight blue hair, even if his eyes were a deep shade of red.

"Well look who it is," Tala said, stepping off the stairs and walking towards them.

"Tala!" the navy haired one exclaimed. "How've you been, buddy?"

Tala smirked, "Don't exert yourself before naptime, Tyson."

The one named Tyson scowled, "Man, if you say that to me **one more time**, Imma kick your ass."

"Hi, I'm Max," the blonde told Luna, pleasantly holding out his hand.

Luna smiled and shook his hand, but before she could reply, Tyson spoke with wide eyes, "Whoa, who's the chick?" He gave Tala a sly grin and nudged him with his elbow, "Is she your…" he then proceeded to stick out his left pinky, "girlfriend?"

Tala punched him in the face and then cracked his knuckles irritably as if _daring_ him to say it again. Max couldn't help but laugh, "Well at least we know nothing's changed around here."

"No kidding," Spencer chuckled.

Tyson stood back up and glared at Tala, "Okay, then is she Bryan's?" Bryan's eye twitched; he looked at Tyson, cracking his knuckles as well. Tyson put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay, I won't ask! But who is she?"

"The reason they needed five tickets, I would assume," the third man said, folding his arms and looking at them with an amused glance.

Tala rolled his eyes, "Hey, Kai. Long time no see."

Kai raised his eyebrows, "Oh? What was that about kicking my ass when you got here?"

"I'm Luna," the black haired woman interrupted before Tala would oblige to Kai's request. "Nice to meet you," she added, shaking Max's hand.

"So how'd you meet these guys?" Tyson asked in a joking tone of voice. "Didn't they drive you nuts?"

"Sometimes," Luna replied teasingly.

Ian grinned, "She's our serving wench."

"She's living with us for a while," Spencer corrected, whacking Ian on the head. The shorter man held his noggin and glared up at the much taller one.

Kai smirked, "Nice to see nothing really _has_ changed. Come on, we'll talk later."

"Where are we going?" Tala asked.

"Didn't he tell you? You're gonna live with **me**!" Tyson exclaimed happily.

Tala frowned, looking at Kai quite displeased, "You're an asshole, Kai." Kai just shook his head, finding the whole situation extremely amusing.

They followed him out of the airport where a black limousine was waiting, an old, larger man in a black suit waiting in front of it. Tyson looked at them grinning, "See? Even Mr. Dickenson came to see you guys!"

The old man laughed, "I was in town and visiting Tyson when I heard you boys were getting a flight in from Russia. So I thought I'd swing by and offer a ride."

Luna looked at the faces of her boys and saw that they clearly didn't expect such a gesture. It was obvious they knew him, but from what she could tell, they didn't think he'd do this for them. She smiled slightly; it was sort of funny how they had no idea just how many people cared about them. The four of them weren't nearly as alone in the world as they thought.

In the middle of the ride, Tyson scowled and literally threw his cell phone on the floor. Slightly grateful she wasn't the only one who was confused by his actions, Luna continued to stare at him, bewildered. "What was that for?" Max asked, picking the cell phone up and checking it over to see if Tyson had scratched it.

"Sonja won't pick up her phone!" he retorted. "I was gonna have her come over so she could meet you guys, but _nooooo_, she's too good to answer her phone."

"Let me try," Kai said from the seat in front of him. He took out his own phone and glanced at Tyson with a slight grin, "Ever cross your mind that maybe she doesn't want to talk to you? Cell phones have caller ID."

Tyson's jaw dropped, "What? Why wouldn't she want to talk to me?"

Luna raised her eyebrows, intrigued by the scene, but didn't comment. Kai called this _Sonja_ person and put his cell on speaker phone so everyone could hear. He looked a little irritated when he heard her overly cheerful voicemail pick up.

"_Hi, it's Sonja! I'm pondering the fate of the world right now. Please leave your name and number after the beep and I'll get back to you after the apocalypse. Bye!_"

Kai closed his phone, cutting off the call, and shook his head almost in disbelief. He put the phone back in his pocket and resumed looking out the window. Tala, however, looked at Tyson and asked, "What kind of psychotic woman have you been seeing?"

Tyson glared at him, "I'm not _seeing_ her – she's my friend! **Our** friend," he corrected. "And she's not psychotic, she's-"

"She's psychotic," Max said jokingly. "But nice, too."

"Interesting combination," Spencer mused.


	6. Hyperactive Knucklehead

__**TK**: I reuse characters - next chapter, Cat's coming back. Thanks everyone who's reading and reviewing :)

* * *

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Hyperactive Knucklehead**

* * *

"Where are you taking us again?" Tala asked, still skeptical of the situation.

"A bar," Tyson replied shrugging. He put on his jacket and headed towards the door. "You coming?"

Exchanging quick glances with Bryan, he sighed and followed Tyson. When he got to the doorway, Tala looked back, waiting for Luna who was staring at nothing in particular. She was just standing in place, spacing out. "You okay?" Tala asked.

Brought out of her thoughts, Luna smiled and nodded, following him out the door. "Yeah, sorry."

"So who's this chick we're gonna meet?" Tala asked as they got in Kai's car. "And are you sure it's safe to leave Ian in the house without us around?"

"Spencer and Bryan will keep him out of trouble," Luna insisted.

Tyson seemed a little reluctant now that the thought had dawned on him, and it didn't help when Tala added, "Yeah, or keep him out of nuclear chemicals. It sure would suck if the house was exploded by the time we got back and we had to end up bugging some _other_ old friends, like the White Tigers or the Majes-"

"Stop that!" Luna scolded. "He's not **that** bad! And you're scaring Tyson!"

Tyson shook his head, even though his face was pale. "No need to worry," he assured. "I've known these guys for about ten years. And, uh… they're not as um… _scary_ as they used to be," he said scratching the back of his head nervously.

Tala raised his eyebrows, "Scared of Ian?"

Declining the inclination to say, 'That midget could destroy the universe if he tried hard enough!' Tyson simply laughed and looked out the window. Kai, the other one in the car, rolled his eyes and parked the vehicle. "Come on; we're here."

"So… Sonja works here?" Luna asked. She paused, realizing that this already strange-sounding woman worked at a **bar**. "What exactly… does she… _do_ here?"

"She's a bartender," Kai replied, stepping out of the car.

"Oh."

They walked in past the either dancing or lounging people and headed straight to a few empty stools where a woman with blue hair pulled up in a spiky ponytail was pouring another woman a drink. She had shoulder length, layered brown hair and stirred her glass slowly, staring at it in a depressed fashion. "I mean… am I really that bad? I didn't think I was…"

"Nah," the blue haired one replied as she set the bottle down. She looked up, noticing the four of them take their seats. "Well, what a surprise this is."

"Why don't you answer your phone, Sonja?" Tyson asked right away. He sat next to the brunette woman, next to him was Tala, then Luna, and Kai on the end.

"Because if people get my voicemail enough times, they'll stop calling," Sonja replied smiling innocently. "So what brings you guys here? Who's your friends?"

"This is Tala and his friend Luna."

"Nice to meet ya," Sonja winked. "I'm Sonja, the intelligent one among your friends, the Bladebreakers." Ignoring the look she got from Kai (who was well used to her challenging his authority, though he didn't really care), she proceeded to shake hands with both of them.

"Oh, hey, Hil!" Tyson said all of the sudden.

The brunette woman next to him looked up, revealing crimson red eyes that matched Kai's, and smiled slightly, "Hey, Tyson." She rest her chin on her hand with her elbow on the bar, looking at her drink depressingly.

Tala tilted his head to the side, "Seen better days, huh, Hilary?"

"You can say that again," she sighed. She looked up at him and managed a smile, "Sorry, Tala. So how've you been?"

He paused, "…Different." It was the only word he could think of to say.

"How's your love life?"

"Huh?" Tala was, to say the least, caught off-guard by the question. Tyson and Sonja couldn't help but laugh. Kai simply rolled his eyes and helped himself to the usual glass of Smirnoff vodka. Luna couldn't help but raise her eyebrows with interest, looking at the scene in an amused fashion.

"Got a girlfriend?" Hilary asked. She wasn't being rude, she was just asking. Nothing got in the way of a depressed woman who was feeling a slight buzz from alcohol it seemed.

"No."

Hilary sighed, "I'm single, too." She gave him an awkward smile and said, "You know, men should try harder in approaching society's women. It would really make things so much easier. It's a shame how many relationships never even exist because the woman doesn't know the man is even interested."

Tala looked completely clueless, obviously having no idea how to react, "Uh… sure."

Coming to the rescue, Sonja said, "Weren't you telling me about this interesting man you met a few weeks ago?" She inwardly chuckled, getting the idea Tala had never been involved in a 'girl-talk' before. From the look on Luna's face, she imagined the black haired woman was thinking the same thing.

"Yeah," Hilary said after taking another sip of her drink.

Tala glanced at Kai, "Is she always like this nowadays?"

Kai gestured towards the vodka he was drinking and shrugged, "I don't usually notice."

"He's used to it," Tyson translated. He turned back to listen to Hilary continue on about this 'great guy' she met, unable to help himself as he felt slightly irritated.

"Of course, like I said," Hilary continued, "he gives no sign that he's even interested." She took another drink, brushing her hair behind her ears. "He's really nice to me; very sweet and charming."

"You met him at work right?" Sonja asked slowly.

"Yeah, he's a frequent customer," Hilary nodded.

Sonja shook her head once, unable to hold in her smirk. "Honey, if he's coming into a _hair salon_ frequently… he's gay."

Hilary's jaw dropped, forcing her hand to immediately come up and cover her mouth. "Oh my God…" she murmured. She sighed and rubbed her forehead stressfully, "It's hopeless. I'm going to die an old maid."

Luna tilted her head to the side, "It can't be _that_ bad…"

"I haven't been on a date in a year."

In an attempt to make her feel better, Luna said, "Don't feel bad; I was so caught up with work, I haven't been on one since high school."

Tala looked at her, slightly shocked, "You remember high school?"

Luna froze, realizing she spoke about her previous life. _Way to go_, Saint Jude's voice said inside her head. In a quick effort to cover it up, she said, "Wow… y-yeah. I remember a little bit. It's sort of coming back to me slowly. Strange, isn't it?"

He paused, but simply nodded, "Yeah, it is. Your head okay?"

"Yes," she replied. "I'm fine, Tala."

"What's wrong?" Hilary asked, confused.

Tala looked at Luna uneasily, but she nodded, so he said, "She has amnesia. Doesn't remember much before… three weeks ago, I think." He turned back to her and asked, "You remember your high school, though?"

"A little," she said, hoping she didn't blow her cover. _Ugh, what is it about me and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time! Maybe I wasn't meant to be a spy after all…_

_Really,_ Saint Jude told her inside her mind, _that's aMAYzing_, he added, stressing out the word with sarcasm. Clearly he was irritated that she 'spilled the beans' about her school. _While you're at it, why don't you tell them you're on a mission from God to go to heaven? Or better yet, that in your past life, you were a __**spy**__._

_Shut up, shut up, shut up_, Luna thought. She knew she made a mistake, and now she had to cover it. "I mean… I don't remember most of it. But some of it is coming back to me slowly. Maybe I'll remember everything someday."

Tala hesitated, knowing full-well (according to the doctor) it was impossible for her to gain all of her memories back. It was a miracle she recovered what she did. Patting her on the head once, he nodded with what he hoped was a convincing smile and turned back to Hilary, who resumed her rant about love being a lie.

Sonja watched the scene with hidden intelligence. She knew what was going on; she had seen it thousands of times before. But it would have been completely out of character for her to say something. Besides; it was much more entertaining to play the hyperactive knucklehead everyone knew her as. So she got out a glass and poured the redhead a drink, scooting it in front of him. "You looked like you needed something," she said, when he looked up at her.

"Thanks," Tala said. Yeah, he needed something to drink. Dealing with life and all it's issues was catching up to him and stressing him out. He had to look for a new job, as well as the others, since they would be living with Tyson now. Not to mention he had to deal with Luna. Not that she was annoying, it was more so he had to deal with the fact that she had no idea who she was and would most likely never know. Tala hated his past, but he wouldn't throw it away for anything. It was a part of him, good or bad. Looking at Luna who continued to smile as she listened to Hilary rant, he felt irritated that there was no way she would ever know. She was a ghost as far as reality was concerned. No identity, no home, no family. He paused… family… "Luna," he said suddenly, causing her to look at him. "Do you remember your family?"

Luna paused, thinking over how to answer the question. Sure she remembered; she remembered everything. But what of that was she allowed to say during her ordeal on Earth? She inwardly smirked with sarcasm at the situation. It was interesting in a sardonic sort of way that in order to gain access into heaven, she had to _lie_ which was a _sin_ to everyone. "I remember a little about my family," she said, looking towards the bar so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes. Jade green was no match for piercing ice blue.

"You do?" Tyson asked, interested.

"A little," she repeated. "I don't remember their names, but I remember how they acted… a little bit of how they looked. Not a lot, though." She frowned, memories of her true family going through her mind. _How annoying…_

Changing the subject, Sonja decided to bring something else up. "There's a lunar eclipse tonight. How about we hang out at your place and watch it, Tyson?"

"Hey, that sounds cool," Tyson said thoughtfully. "Which one is that?"

Hilary looked at him, "That's when the moon is in the Earth's shadow, Tyson."

"Oh," he said, wondering if he was supposed to know that. "Yeah, we can watch it at my place. Not much else to do."

"Don't you work?" Tala asked bluntly.

"Not really," Tyson said, folding his arms behind his head. "Gramps left me a pretty good inheritance and I still have some money left over from all those Beyblading World Championships."

"I see," he replied, turning his gaze to the drink Sonja had poured him.

Luna paused, slightly confused. She tried to piece thoughts together to figure it out. Tyson was living off inheritance and championship earnings… and still had money left over so he didn't have to work… then shouldn't Tala and the others have money from the Beyblading championships they were in? Tyson even had a much bigger house; it looked like an old Japanese mansion practically. Why were things so much harder in Russia than here in Japan? Or did they… lose…?

"What about you, Sonja?" Hilary said suddenly. "Got a boyfriend yet?"

"Hell no," Sonja laughed. She gave a dramatic sigh, "No one's good enough for me."

"Wanna go to a dating service with me?"

"What?"

The brunette slumped down in her chair, "Never mind."

"What's wrong with you, Hil?" Tyson asked. He put on a smug grin, gave her the thumbs-up sign, and winked, "You could always date _me_!" Hilary looked at him, paused, and then looked back at her drink downing it quickly and then setting the glass down in the same depressed fashion.

"Denied," Sonja shrugged.

Tyson's jaw dropped, "What to you mean? We dated in high school! Remember? We even went on a double date with Kai and Cat!"

"You're impossible, Tyson," Hilary said after a pause.

Luna gave an all-knowing smile, figuring out what was going on at last. Hilary wanted to date Tyson, but the idiot didn't have a clue, much less did he probably even know what _love_ was. He didn't act with his feelings. She couldn't help but sigh, "Men are all the same."

"Ding, ding, ding," Sonja laughed. "We have a winner."

"What do you mean by that?" Tyson and Tala said in unison. They both proceeded to glare at each other briefly before turning back to her.

Luna raised her eyebrows having her silence be her answer. Tala frowned, "Come on… Are you saying you want to go on a date?"

"No," she said, getting slightly irritated.

"Ask Bryan; he'd go out with you!"

"Tala…" Luna spoke with a warning tone of voice.

"Spencer?"

"…"

"Ian?"

"Just stop," Sonja said, holding her sides painfully. "Good _God_ men are clueless. Look, Tala, Tyson, listen to my advice. That's what people do, right? When they can't afford shrinks, they go to us bartenders. So here's what I've got to say." She put her hands on the table and leaned in so both of them were focused on her. "_Read_ _between the __**lines**_!"

They exchanged confused glances and returned to looking at her, bewildered by the _strange new concept_.

Sonja rolled her eyes, "When you're in the middle of a conversation, hell, when you're even **near** a woman… just **stop** and **think **for once! If you take a breather and pay attention to what's going on – meaning thinking with your **UPSTAIRS BRAINS** – you _might_ just figure something out!"

Hilary and Luna were giggling madly at the sight, while Kai simply continued to sip his vodka, highly amused that his friends got told by a girl who was two years their junior. Perhaps having the Demolition Boys around again would prove to be a lot more entertaining than he originally foresaw.

* * *

"Is it starting?" Luna asked, walking outside onto the porch.

"I can't see anything yet," Tyson said, staring at the sky expectantly. Tala, Bryan, Spencer, and Ian were all seated at a patio table while Luna and Tyson were standing up, searching the sky for the moon. For some reason, it just wouldn't show up.

"Sorry we're late!" came Sonja's voice from inside Tyson's place. She, Hilary, and Kai walked outside, taking their seats at the other table.

Luna sighed and sat down between Tala and Spencer, looking at the sky and feeling a bit disappointed. So much for seeing the eclipse. From the looks of things, it wasn't going to show up. She turned her head to look at the four people she had met that day. Tyson seemed nice, even if he was a little clueless. Hilary was an all right person; she was just lonely. Kai wasn't as much of a talker as the others, but it was obvious he had his good sides. He was the one who helped Tala and the others get a new place to live, after all.

Sonja, however, was the strangest one. She seemed to be the bluntly honest, sarcastic type. She also looked – and acted – a bit younger than Luna, so perhaps she was… maybe twenty-one or so. It was obvious she was used to people complaining, too. That made sense, what with her job as a bartender. She was still very… well, strange seemed to be the only word Luna could come up with.

The said blue haired woman stood up from her seat, put her hands on her hips, and stared at the sky, "I was **told** tonight was gonna have an eclipse!"

"Where'd you hear this, Sonja?" Tyson asked.

"The news," she said. She interrupted before he could say anything, "No, I don't watch the news. That's just the only channel we have at the bar. It's usually soccer, but whatever." Suddenly, something seemed to catch her attention. She looked at the house in back of Tyson's. It was about the same size; a large, Japanese mansion nearly, and it stood past Tyson's backyard.

Hilary looked over there, "What's wrong, Sonja?" The neighbors had their porch lights on and appeared to be waiting for the eclipse to show up as well.

Irritated, Sonja put her hands together near her mouth to project her voice as she spoke quite loudly, "I would **LOVE** to see the **ECLIPSE** but some **MORONS** have their **LIGHTS** on!" She made sure to stress the important words for emphasis of her annoyance. "Sure hope they **REALIZE** you can't see **SHIT** with **LIGHTS ON**!"

Luna's eyes widened, completely embarrassed by Sonja's actions. From the looks of things, Hilary felt the same way. The guys simply stared at her, surprised, shocked, or both. "Sonja, stop that!" Hilary scolded. "That's rude!"

Sonja continued yelling, positive her complaints could be heard across Tyson's lawn and into the neighbor's ears. "It's also **RUDE** to deny **US** the right to **SEE** the damn thing! It only happens **ONCE** every **COUPLE YEARS** after all!"

Luna slid down in her seat, attempting to hide her face in embarrassment. Sonja was a nutcase.


	7. A Sense of Salvation

_****_**TK**: So... writer's block has hit me pretty hard. I've lost inspiration. This will unfortunately be the last chapter for a while. I'm sorry! Hopefully I'll find something that inspires me to go on.

However, as my apology, I've brought in Brooklyn :) I simply adore his role in this chapter. Hopefully, you will, too.

* * *

_**Purgatory**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**A Sense of Salvation**

* * *

"Why won't you go with me?" Luna asked, feeling a wave of slight displeasure pass through her. It was mid afternoon, and she was getting ready to go to church for her confession. The five of them had been living with Tyson for three days now – it seemed only Luna remained unbothered by this – which meant it was Monday, the day she usually went.

"It's just not our thing," Spencer told her, trying to keep things simple. "Thank you for inviting us, but you go on ahead." He was standing with her in the kitchen, Ian was in the living room, and Tala and Bryan were at the kitchen table looking for jobs in the newspaper.

Luna frowned, "But it won't take long. All you have to do is talk to the priest and tell him what you did wrong. Ask for forgiveness and-"

"Luna," Bryan interrupted, not looking up from the article he was reading. It was that tone of voice he usually used with her that told her she wouldn't understand.

"Why would there even **be** salvation if it's not true?" Luna insisted. "Don't you have any faith?" None of them answered, so she simply shook her head in disbelief. She took off her cross, set it down on the table in hopes of her attempt at a dramatic scene getting through their heads, and walked out the door.

Max poked his blonde head in after he left, "Wow, you guys really made her mad. Sort of funny how she puts up with you." Four simultaneous groans followed in response. Max sighed, "You know… back at home, my mom and I go to church once a week on Sundays. It's really not that bad. We go to this place called Heartland, and it's not nearly as scary and awful as you put it out to be."

"There's no such thing as 'God,'" Ian said simply as he glanced uneasily at the cross Luna had left behind. Then he returned to flipping through the channels of the television set.

Changing the subject, Max asked, "I was thinking about giving Draciel a spin; been a while since I Beybladed. Any of you guys still know how?"

* * *

The little church wasn't nearly as astounding as Luna had imagined it to be. Then again, she wasn't in her home country. She half expected the preacher to be Japanese, and sighed with relief when she saw that he wasn't, since she didn't have a clue how to say anything in Japanese. It was hard enough living with four Russians.

The outside of the church was a simple, brick building with a sign that told when the sermons took place. Nothing out of the ordinary; flowers dotted across the sides of the building and all that jazz. As for interior, rows of wooden benches on either side, more flowers, a pipe organ in the back… etcetera, etcetera.

Monday seemed as good a day as any for Luna to confess. It was something she picked up after coming back to the _land of the living_. Besides… at least on Monday most of the people would be at work. Glancing throughout the room, she saw this to be true, as only one other was there. As Luna walked further down the aisle, she took in his appearance. About twenty-three, maybe twenty-four years of age, he had bright orange hair that he had styled in a spiked, slightly punky sort of way. He leaned back in the seat and stared at the ceiling.

Seeing as the priest was busy with writing something in a large book, Luna decided to sit next to him and talk to him. "You look like you're searching for something," she said. It wasn't the average conversation starter, but then again, he didn't seem the average type of person.

He sat upright and tilted his head, looking at her. It was then that she noticed he had bright, teal-blue eyes and a single gold earring on his left ear. "You look like you're regretting something." Her assumption proved to be true; he wasn't the average man after all.

"I do regret," Luna replied, looking towards the pipe organ at the end of the church. "I regret a lot of things, more lately than ever before." She looked at him, "So what did you come here for?"

The man paused, "…A… sense of salvation, I guess."

"A sense of salvation, huh?" she murmured. "Yes… I think that's why we all come here. We feel guilty about things we've done in the past. In my past… I neglected my faith. Only until a recent experience did I realize that I had to rekindle it."

He sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the bench in front of them as he followed her gaze to the musical instrument. "What is it you're regretting?"

"A lot of things," she answered. "I regret pushing my family away. I regret wanting more in life; that got me nowhere. I regret not believing in heaven or hell until recently. I regret having to lie to everyone close to me. Then again… I suppose no one lives without regret. Some just feel it more than others."

"That's true."

"So you're searching for salvation?"

"I guess so," he said softly.

Luna smiled, standing up at last when she saw the priest had finished his writing, "Well, you've come to the right place. They say there's always forgiveness, so I guess there's nothing to do but test that theory, wouldn't you agree?"

Blue eyes looked up at her before a smile crossed his lips. "You're right."

"My name's Luna," she added. "Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

"Maybe," he replied. "I'm Brooklyn."

"I'm going to confess. I suppose that's the first step, anyway. It was a pleasure speaking with you, Brooklyn." She waved goodbye once and then walked towards the back where the priest acknowledged her smiling. He gestured towards a room with his hand and she walked inside right away, expecting him to follow. Luna sat down in the seat in the dark room, leaning her head back against the wall. She heard the door open, and saw the shadow of a robed man sit down in the seat beyond the lattice. Luna sighed, "Forgive me, Father… I have sinned."

"All humans do," came the reply. She recognized that voice. She rose up and peered through the lattice, barely able to make out the figure of Saint Peter.

Luna frowned and leaned back against the wall again. "I'm supposed to be confessing…"

"Confess through me," he said simply. "And when you're done, we can talk."

"So now you want to talk," she said. "I prayed to you a lot before, when we were going to be evicted, and you didn't answer me once."

"It turned out fine, didn't it?"

With another sigh, Luna gave in. "All right. I've tried not to, but I swore a little. Not frequently."

"I know."

"I… I lied…"

"I know."

Luna rose up again, looking at the saint somewhat irritably. "How can you say that? It can't be right… for me to lie like that. I'm supposed to be earning my right into heaven, not being forced to sin."

Now, it was Saint Peter's turn to sigh. "You know, I have a very busy schedule. People die all the time, and it's my job to check the book and see if they can come in. You're making a lot of people wait in Purgatory while I stay here and talk to you. Are you done confessing?"

"My mind is preoccupied at the moment," she said.

"You've done good already today," he told her casually. "The man you just met – you just helped him find his faith. He didn't think the Lord would accept him, and now he believes in forgiveness and salvation. You're well on your way to making it into heaven, you know."

"…But… what about…"

Saint Peter turned his head to face her, "The others back home? Well… it's up to them. Your influence is causing a change gradually, but you'll have to work on it. They might just be too tough a challenge for you. You can't save everyone."

"I want to save them."

"You can't if they don't want to be saved."

"Is there a way I can convince them?" Luna asked.

"Technically, you shouldn't have to," Saint Peter began. "Simply believing in God or not should be someone's choice. That's why they call it faith."

"I didn't have faith…"

"You do now. And that was your choice."

Luna stood up and put her hand to the handle of the door, "Then I guess… I'll have to keep trying. That's the only way to complete the ordeal, right? To save people to redeem my life of never believing?"

"Never believing among other things," he added with raised eyebrows. "You can't exactly call the life of a spy a very holy one."

"Well at least I was somewhat of a martyr in my time."

Saint Peter rolled his eyes, "You died so you wouldn't be tortured into telling who you worked for, not for what you believed in. In any case, I have work to do. Good luck, Luna."

* * *

Later that week, Luna took the liberty to take care of the groceries with Hilary. They walked down the block to a local market to pick up a few things, making casual conversation along the way. Hilary was the first to speak, "The guys don't know the first thing about shopping, even if it's food. Much less, if you say the word 'sale' around them, they start thinking you're an alien from outer space."

Luna couldn't help but laugh, "Well, I can't say I'm a stranger to that reaction, that's for sure. So are Max and Tyson living together?"

"Just for a while," Hilary explained. "Tyson's grandfather passed away recently, and Max decided to come in for a couple months to help him pull through. Kai's even been making more of an appearance, which is a treat because their constant rude comments to each other are highly amusing. Of course, they're not nearly as colorful as Kai's and Tala's disputes."

"They've known each other for a long time, haven't they?"

"They pretty much grew up together from what I gather," Hilary nodded as she looked through the milk cartons to find the one with the best expiration date. "Interested?"

"In what?" Luna asked innocently, pretending she had no idea what Hilary was talking about. Slightly immature and naïve way to handle things, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

The brunette shook her head, apparently deciding for a new subject. "You should come down to my hair salon; I can give you a snazzy cut that'll look really pretty. In fact, how about next week? That's when Catia is coming in; she's a friend from high school. I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

Luna smiled, "Sounds great." If she remembered right, this Catia, or Cat, was Kai's girlfriend. She paused, "Um… say, Hilary… this is sort of a personal question, but do you believe in God? I mean… religion and all of that…"

"Of course I do," Hilary replied. "Well, I was raised to, anyway, but I really do believe. I guess it's just easier for some reason. Why? Is this about the guys?" There was a pause. "You're worried about their judgment or something, aren't you?"

Luna couldn't help but look at Hilary slightly surprised, "You're really good at reading people."

"Women, that is," Hilary corrected. "I run a hair salon, Luna. It's my job to talk to my clients while I fix their hair. You learn a lot in that kind of business, and as Sonja said the other day, my regulars are either women or gay men." She added a sigh to the last part. "Now it's my turn: do you believe that there's a special someone out there for everyone?"

"I do," Luna said. "But I also believe that the majority of the people in the world don't take the opportunities or risks necessary to _find_ that 'someone.'" She winked at her, "People just need to try harder."

"So you think that… if I try harder…"

With a smile, Luna simply pat Hilary on the shoulder and continued browsing different breakfast cereals. "I think you should… devise a plan or scheme, if you will."

"Huh?"

"You know… a plan of action," Luna told her. "It's really not that hard."

"But you said you haven't had a date since high school…"

"I was too caught up in work and milit- err… well, if my memory is right, I just was too busy for love." Luna inwardly sighed with relief that Hilary didn't seem to notice the slip-up. She had done that twice already – she really needed to watch what she said.

Hilary gave her a reassuring smile, "Then maybe you should try it again. Nothing like the feeling of someone who cares about you."

"Oh, I'm sure, I just… well, I think it would be nice to regain all my memories first," Luna said, though she knew she was lying through her teeth. She wasn't interested – or correction, wasn't _able_ – to have a relationship because she only had a month and three weeks left. That made something in her mind click and get into motion. She was running out of time for her ordeal, and in her mind, she then realized that she was going to die.

Feeling a slight tinge of nausea come over her, she offered Hilary a weak smile and tried to simply continue grocery shopping without much more thought on the subject. Hilary stopped at a certain section and paused, "Hmm… I should buy something from here."

Following her gaze, Luna looked over the aisle and then raised her eyebrows, "Alcoholic beverages?"

"Yeah… for… well, you know… for New Years and all…"

Luna hesitated, "…You're not planning on getting Tyson _drunk_ are you…?"

"No!" Hilary shrieked, blushing ten shades of pink. "No way! You just… well, you know, when the countdown is over, you're supposed to kiss the first guy you see or however that tradition goes. So if…"

"How about this one?" Luna asked, holding up a bottle of Pucker's Green Apple.

"Anything a little… err, stronger?" Hilary asked, still a bit embarrassed.

Luna nodded thoughtfully before scanning down the aisle for the particular drink she was looking for. Instead, she found something even better. "How about I make you something special? We can get a couple Smirnoff vodkas of course, too. But I'm going to make you a Vesper."

"What's a Vesper?"

"A… _special_ drink, I guess. You'll see. I think it's just what you need." Luna inwardly smirked; it was _exactly_ what Hilary needed. Something so strong, it'd knock her off her feet. Then again, women tend to say **everything** when under a bit of the influence. And it wasn't like she would need a designated driver if she spent the night, right?

Hilary shook her head once, probably to regain her senses, and returned her crimson gaze to Luna, this time with a sly grin of her own. "All right, tell you what. I'll try this drink of yours if you tell me… your rating on all our boys back home."

"My rating?"

"You know," she said with a playful nudge. "What would you rate them… say… sexually?"

"What?"

Hilary rolled her eyes, "Okay, _immature_, which ones are boyfriend material?"

Luna couldn't help but laugh, "Are you seriously asking me this?"

"Well… yeah. I'm just curious! I'll tell you mine."

"…Which one?"

"Let's start with… Max."

The black haired woman shook her head once, "No. Maxie's too cute in more of an… adorable sort of way."

"I agree," Hilary said nodding. "Kai?"

Luna paused, looking over both shoulders to see if anyone she knew was around and/or listening; an action Hilary couldn't help but notice. "Kai's… well… very attractive. I think the silent, bad boy look he has about him is what does it."

Hilary nodded, "Yeah, all girls love the bad boy. I had a thing for Kai in my younger years," she admitted as they walked to the next aisle in the market. "Oh, you should meet Ray. He and his team are going to visit sometime this month; he's really nice. Let's see…"

"What about Tyson?" Luna asked.

Hilary sighed, "I see I'm not the only one who pays attention to detail."

Instead of saying it was part of her job to read between the lines and pay attention, she swapped it for, "Natural talent, I guess. Don't worry… Tyson's not my type."

"I'm not worried," Hilary said with a shrug. She looked at a silver ring on her finger and frowned, "He'll never do anything anyway." In an attempt to get back at her for touching on something, she asked, "What about the former Demolition Boys? Any one of them catching you eye?"

"I… I don't know…" Luna replied, a light blush coming over her. She knew her cheeks were heating up, but she also knew she didn't stand a chance no matter what the circumstances. Using that state of mind, she quickly recovered and looked at the frozen products as she spoke. "It doesn't matter anyway. Those guys never let anyone in."

"They seem to let you in just fine," Hilary noticed.

Luna shook her head with a slight smile, "You should have seen them when I first arrived. I was at the hospital, you see, when I finally woke up from my two-week coma. Spencer drove me to their place, where he introduced me to Tala and Ian. Bryan was at work, you see." Hilary nodded, waiting for her to continue. "The place was a wreck, to say the least. So I decide to be nice and tidy up a bit, and they all stared at me like I was some strange entity they had never seen before! It was ridiculous, though slightly amusing at the same time, I must admit."

Hilary couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, I'm sure it was. Funny enough, that doesn't surprise me to be their reaction. They were quite… well, technically speaking, they are quite alone aside from the Bladebreakers and I. We're always there for them, but they don't seem to notice."

"It's a shame, really," Luna said quietly. "They have so many friends and allies, yet they act and feel like they're completely alone. I wish I could make them see that they aren't, but you know the male race better than anyone as far as I can tell."

"Well, Sonja's got it down a little better than me, but I'm learning. I get your point though; they're stubborn."

"Very," Luna agreed.

"Tala seems pretty attached to you," she mentioned, making Luna look at her with a bit of confusion and a lot of interest. "People don't usually get on his good side; I'd like imagine you've grown on him."

"It's too bad he and Ian have a taste for horror flicks," Luna shuddered.

Hilary tilted her head to the side with a grin, "Well, you know what they say about scary movies." Her grin widened, "They're the best way to snuggle!" Luna and Hilary were thrown into a fit of giggles and both were completely agreeing on the subject.

* * *

"Er… hey Hilary?" Luna asked as they piled the finally purchased groceries into the trunk of Hilary's car.

"Yeah?" Hilary was busy putting the breads on the top so they wouldn't be crushed and didn't look in her direction, not that it made a difference. "What's up?"

"I want… I want to help the guys regain a little sense of faith…"

Hilary stopped short, "Say what?"

"You know… salvation purposes I guess."

"Worried about them not getting through the pearly gates or something?" Hilary teased. She noticed the serious expression on Luna's face and stopped her chuckles. "Oh my… you're serious, aren't you?" Luna nodded slowly and hesitantly, causing the brunette to sigh, "Well, you've got a difficult job ahead of you. Those four will hardly listen to anything anyone says, much less start believing in God any time soon. Too many bad things have happened to them," she added with a solemn look.

Luna frowned, "I… I guess you're right."

"Hey, don't give up on account of me," Hilary told her in a persuasive manner. She continued piling the groceries into the trunk as she talked to her. "Look, I'm just saying it'll take a while; doesn't mean it's not possible. They need… some sort of evidence, I guess. I don't know, just continue to be there for them like you are – and don't say you aren't, it's completely obvious – and maybe they'll change their minds. It's worth a try."

* * *

It was Monday again, and now, Luna had one month and two weeks to go. She felt a little light headed that day, but shook it off absent-mindedly. She was probably just tired anyway. On her way out the door, she asked, "Are you guys sure you don't want to come?" None out of Tyson, Tala, Bryan, Ian, or Spencer said a word. Luna smiled nonetheless, "Okay. Maybe next time. I'll be back in a few."

"Be careful," Spencer said, looking up from the newspaper briefly.

"I will," she called before closing the front door behind her. She made her way to the church she had gone to before. This time, she found that she was alone. The priest wasn't in sight, so Luna sat down in the front row, looking at the pipe organ as she had done before.

Her thoughts drifted to her family momentarily until the door to the confession chamber opened. Brooklyn, the man she had met the previous week, stepped out and let out a slow sigh of relief. This time, a much more peaceful look crossed the features of his face. He saw Luna right away and walked over to her. "I had a feeling you'd be by today. So did you find a way to ease your regrets?"

"I did," Luna said smiling as she stood up. "Did you find what you were searching for, Brooklyn?"

He paused for a moment, the slightest of smiles on his face. "Yes. I think I did."

"I'm glad," she replied, walking towards the priest who was waiting for her.

"Luna," Brooklyn said before walking down the church aisle to leave. The black haired woman turned back to look at him. "Thanks. I needed to hear… what you said to me back then."

"Sure thing."


End file.
